The Future Children Series
by Vix1
Summary: This is Vix's Future Children series stories about the original eights' MaxLizMichaelMariaIsabelAlexTessKyleteenaged children. Give it a try! Rated M just to be safe. Each chapter reads like an independent story.
1. Dangling Perspective 1

Title: Dangling Perspective (#1)  
  
Author: Vix  
  
Email: Vix_Chic@hotmail.com  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Disclaimers: I own all the people except for the original eight.  
  
Spoilers: none  
  
Summary: Roswell's future generation.  
  
Category: Other  
  
Author's note: It might be a little out there, but come on how much fun would it be if it wasn't? *g*  
  
Here I am, dangling from a tree outside my aunt and uncle's house. Why am I not alarmed you ask, because this isn't an uncommon occurrence. I have been placed in many places that are most uncomfortable when I can't keep my mouth shut. Would you like the long or short version of why I am here hanging from this great oak?  
  
You'll get the long version because well, I have no where to go and no way to get down.  
  
This all started yesterday during school. I go to West Roswell High. Three of my cousin, and I are juniors. Let it be known that I love and fear them a great deal. I fear them because when they put their minds to something there's no stopping them. Look at what they did to.  
  
Hold on. I'm jumping ahead of my self. Like I was saying, yesterday I was walking down the hallway's of my high school with my arm thrown casually around one of my cousins, Nicole.  
  
She's a bit. volatile, but then again so are her parents. On a side note, it's at their house at which I am tied up like a piñata.  
  
As we were walking down the hall towards the quad we accumulated two more people, Josh and Edward, also know as Eddie, they too are our cousins. in a way.  
  
As we approached our usual table a boy ran into us spilling chocolate milk all over Nicole's shirt. Being the gentlemen we are we laughed. That is until we discovered who had spilt it on her.  
  
My arm tightened around her and Josh and Eddie stood on each side of her. Don't get me wrong it wasn't her we were protecting, it was him we were trying to keep safe. Even though we didn't like him any more than she did, but that doesn't mean we wanted blood all over our clothes.  
  
His name was Randy Jackson and they fought worse then her parents did, and take it from me that's really, really bad.  
  
She instantly glared at him making it apparent that she would like to rip his throat out with her bare teeth, and if we would've let go she probably would have done so.  
  
Her gray eyes looked like they were trying to send death rays through his eye sockets, and lucky for him we don't have that power.  
  
Before I continue with my story you should know that we're not your normal teenagers, then again are any teenagers normal? We are aliens. We're hybrids if you want to get technical. Each one of us comes from an alien- human relationship, a very strange alien-human relationship.  
  
Now that that's out of the way I'll continue.  
  
This Randy guy was your average golden boy. He has the grades, the money, the ride, the popularity, the looks, and the girls. He is captain of the football team, a MVP basketball player; and to top it off he has won the wrestling state championship for three years in a row. I might make my point a little clearer if I informed you that he has only been on the team for three years.  
  
He's a complete opposite to my cousin who isn't your average chick. She isn't an air headed bimbo that throws herself at him; in fact she's probably the only girl who hasn't thrown herself at him. At least not in a flirty way, but as a fighting strategy. Back to the story. She was an artist of many kinds. She had a voice like an angel, she had a way with words that would probably make Shakespeare green with envy, and she could paint a picture that would take your breathe away.  
  
She had gray eyes that looked like they were made of steel, which wasn't very far off from her personality. She was a sturdy person to say the least: sturdy, loyal, strong, and above all. loud.  
  
She had dirty blonde curls down to her shoulders and the sharpest tongue ever known to our kind. I say our kind because no alien I know, not that I know many, could rival with her in an argument. Maybe her father, but he'd lose. To see her mother and her go around would be an endless fight, but then again I said aliens, not humans.  
  
She continued to glare at him as she reached out quickly and grabbed her cherry coke and Tabasco drink and dumped it over his head. Had it been anyone else she would have shrugged it off with minor damage, but this wasn't someone else.  
  
We just watched as the drink poured all over his gelled hair and his expensive letterman's jacket. That was going to leave a stain. We have had enough experience with the concoction to know that it was hard enough to get cherry cola out of cloth, but mixed with Tabasco. unless he was like us there was no way it was coming out, and even if he did get the stain out the smell.  
  
I watched him insult her and I felt my blood boil in rage. This was practically my little sister he was talking to here. I knew Josh and Eddie felt the same way, but to our surprise it was Nicole that was handling it the best.  
  
She let his insults roll over her like they were water. Of course this just made him that much more frustrated. He continued to yell things out at her in rage, and she continued to smile and laugh.  
  
"Chill out Golden Toy. You'll be fine. I mean come on, look on the bright side, you didn't melt." With that she walked around him taking our other cousins and me with her.  
  
Randy glared at her as we walked away. Golden Toy was Nicole's pet name for him that always pissed him off.  
  
After lunch and the other three classes we had to endure before we could go home were practically unbearable. After all we're all 16 and it was a Friday.  
  
But since our luck has never been too great we should have expected the assignment our language teacher gave us to finish over the weekend.  
  
We decide to help each other out a bit so we all drove over to Nicole's house to do our work. It was a great two story white Victorian House, which, from the out side, looked like a traditional all-American home, but that was anything but true. On the inside you could tell that the Guerrin's lived there.  
  
There were her father's paintings all over the walls. Her mother's books and CD's were all neatly organized in the entertainment center, and here brothers' things every where. The house screamed controversy.  
  
Once we reached the kitchen to grab some munchies we saw her mother siting over her laptop, on the table, typing up her latest chapter to her third book. She was caught off guard by the sudden sound of four heavy book bags hitting the tile floor.  
  
"Hey kids. How was school?" She asked closing her laptop.  
  
"Great. I had a nice pleasant run in with the Golden Toy." Nicole said sarcastically as she walked over to the refrigerator to get something to eat.  
  
"What happened?" Aunt Maria had asked us.  
  
"They resumed their flirting game long enough to ruin each other's clothes." Eddie said quickly.  
  
Eddie isn't our. brightest cousin. He's closer to being the dimmest of all of them. What can I say? He's a jock.  
  
So no one was surprised when Nicole through a coke can at his head, and no one was surprised when he caught right before it hit him. What did surprise everyone is when it exploded in his hands.  
  
Nicole's body was shaking from laughter, as was everyone else's, everyone except for Eddie's of course.  
  
Her mother quickly recovered and gave us a lecture on using our powers against each other and made Eddie and Nicole clean up the mess, the human way.  
  
Nicole and her mother, being the talkers they are, talked the entire time they had to clean.  
  
"So what happened?" Aunt Maria had asked sympathetically.  
  
"He spilt stuff on me on purpose so I dumped my drink on him." Nicole said while mopping the floor.  
  
"It was an accident and she dumped her cherry cola and Tabasco sauce on his letterman jacket." Josh said giving her mother the entire story.  
  
This of course was a bad move on his part, but there was no way she would hurt him, when there were witnesses.  
  
"You're right they are just like Michael and me." Her mom said while looking over at me.  
  
'Thanks Aunt Maria! You're a real pal!' My mind screamed, but on the outside I just avoided eye contact with everyone, especially Nicole. That girl has put the fear of God in me since we were children, just like her mother did to my dad. It was a cycle. I'm getting off track, again.  
  
The reason I blame the accident in the quad on why I'm up here is because it lead to this very discussion which after a while gave Nicole an idea for our language project. We were to describe something that was very obvious to others but completely ignored by those who were doing it. Don't ask me what's wrong with our teacher. I just go to her class.  
  
Nicole had thought it would be a good idea to document our parents' relationships. Her mother and she had been the only one's that thought it was a good idea, but we three were smart enough to not go against two Guerrin women with no one around to hear us scream.  
  
From then on out it was a rough ride. After her father came home around six we all decided to order pizza, and Aunt Maria had us call our parents to let them know where we were. Which of course let my mom and my aunt talk for a very long time and it gave my uncle and father a chance to roll their eyes every few minutes.  
  
After we had gotten bored with the television, the play station, the computer, the trampoline, and the four wheeler racing we decided it was time to go work on our project.  
  
Of course by then it was around midnight, but that was also not an uncommon occurrence. We trudged up to Nicole's room on the second floor with our book bags.  
  
Once we got there we took our places in a circle on the floor facing each other. We brought out our binders and got out our writing utensils.  
  
"OK. So we write about something that's obvious to us, but our parents have no clue they're doing it, right?" Eddie asked again.  
  
He hadn't been paying much attention to the teacher, but he had been paying too much attention to the cheerleader next to him.  
  
"Yeah. This should be really easy for Joshie." Nicole said as she reached over and roughed up Josh's dark hair.  
  
Josh's parents, Aunt Liz and Uncle Max, were very obvious about what they. felt for each other.  
  
"Please, blind people even get sick of them doing that soul mate thing." Eddie said chewing on the end of his pencil.  
  
Actually it was my pencil I let him borrow, that was until he salivated all over it of course.  
  
"They are so strange. I mean they'll stop in the middle of. anything and just look at each other." Josh had made a disgusted face and sighed noisily.  
  
"You think your parents are strange?" Nicole had asked as she looked around at us.  
  
"My parents call each other names: Spaceboy, Earthgirl, Cheesehead, Dorkbutt." She began to count their childish flirtations out on her finger when our cousin broke her concentration.  
  
"So? My parents try to discretely talk about sex by referring to it as 'trimming'. By the time I hit puberty I figured out what it was; it's like foreplay. It's just wrong." Edward said covering his face with his hands.  
  
"Yeah well at least your parents try to be discrete about it! Mine have literally jumped each other in the middle of the mall. They're like rabid dogs half the time. They scream and fight, then like five minutes later they're all over each other again. Personally I would prefer the 'trim' talking as foreplay." Nicole said in one breath.  
  
Don't ask me how she talks so fast, and don't ask me how we can understand every word. We were thinking about taping it and send it in to Riply's believe it or not collection, but she found the tape and. That's a whole different torture story all together.  
  
It was at that time that I opened my big mouth. "My parents aren't that bad. There's the occasional kissing, sappy songs, and that love sick puppy thing they do, but other than that it's a walk in the park." I said with a smile. For the record, I regret that very, very much because it's very, very cold out here.  
  
They all looked at each other and simultaneously jumped me. I didn't stand a chance.  
  
After a few hours of torturing me inside while I was tied up they decided it would be better I got 'in touch' with nature.  
  
So here is where I have been since five in the morning. Right now it's about nine o'clock. I can see my parent's car coming up the drive followed by two other vehicles. We always have Saturday breakfast together on the first and third Saturday's of the month. It is a tradition of sorts. I'm tied up behind the house, so I know they can't see me.  
  
"Kids, what is Thomas doing hanging from that tree?" Michael asked the three teenagers gathered around the large breakfast table while looking out the window.  
  
"He's what?" Isabel asked loudly before jumping out of her seat and running out the door to the back yard where her son was dangling from a branch about six and a half feet off the ground.  
  
"What did he do this time?" Alex asked Kyle's son, Eddie, as he walked outside to follow his wife who was already working on the knots.  
  
"How should we know?" Nicole asked with a sly smile as she grabbed Eddie's arm in one hand and Josh' in her other dragging them towards the tree.  
  
"OK, this is the last knot. You ready?" Uncle Max called up.  
  
I looked down at him. Was I ready?  
  
"I was ready four hours ago!" I yell.  
  
"Four hours! You tied him up there for four hours!" My mom yelled at them.  
  
"What did he do?" Uncle Michael asked my father's question.  
  
They just smiled. They weren't spilling, and I knew from personal experience that I would keep my mouth shut about what they did.  
  
My dad laughed after I was down and checked out by my still panicking mother. He laughed along with everyone else. Except my mom, she just glared at them while hugging me.  
  
Uncle Kyle and Aunt Tess looked at their niece, nephew, and son sharply, once the laughter died down. Uncle Kyle wrapped one arm around his wife, and Aunt Tess wrapped hers around Eddie and they made their way back towards the house.  
  
Uncle Max smiled slightly and put his arm around Josh's shoulders as he led his son and wife back to the house too.  
  
My mom didn't release me completely as my dad patted me on the back and wrapped his arm around my mom's waist.  
  
Uncle Michael put one arm around Aunt Maria's shoulders and one around Nicole's waist as we all walked back behind the others.  
  
Once seated we prepared for the questions that would go unanswered, and the long excruciating lecture we would have to endure from Aunt Maria.  
  
"Thomas Whitman," I thought to my self as I watched my Aunt's lips fly at an alarming pace, "time to break out the old trusty dusty 'Maria filter.'"  
  
The End 


	2. The First Gig 2

Title: The First Gig (#2)  
  
Author: Vix  
  
Email: Vix_Chic@hotmail.com  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Category: Future Children  
  
Disclaimers: I own nothing but the kids.  
  
  
  
"Cinderella said to snow white How does love get so off course? All I wanted was a white knight With a good heart Soft touch Fast horse Ride me off into the sun set, baby I'm forever." Nicole sang as she set up her microphone.  
  
"OK, the country thing isn't going to work. You know that right?" Thomas asked tuning his guitar.  
  
"Sorry it's stuck in my head, Eddie was listening to it all the way over here." Nicole explained glaring at her cousin, Eddie who had no doubt inherited the taste and CD from his father.  
  
"Well if you wouldn't have broken my Lee Ann Rhymes CD we could have listened to that." Eddie said with a slight shrug of his broad shoulders.  
  
Nicole let a slight shudder of nausea run through her before she turned back to her work.  
  
"So we are schedule for nine, right?" Nicole asked Thomas who had moved on to the amps.  
  
"On the dot. I can't believe they gave us a gig without any references." He said with his father's silly grin playing at his face.  
  
"He heard us practice, and our parents have very strong credibility with the owner. It's not that surprising." Josh said from the corner setting up the keyboard.  
  
"Dude, you take all the fun out of it. With like. facts." Eddie said leaning back in his chair.  
  
"Are you going to help set up or what?" Nicole asked hooking up the main sound board.  
  
"Fine." Eddie said as he got up and went to set up his drums.  
  
"So we are getting paid, right?" Eddie asked as he looked over at Thomas.  
  
Thomas' mother had done all the negotiating. She was an outstanding lawyer, and had been over come with joy to help her family with their first gig, especially since her baby boy, Thomas Whitman, was the guitarist.  
  
"Yeah, cool huh?" Thomas asked the grin getting even wider.  
  
"You're not going to wear your.well, your not going to wear anything you own, are you?" Nicole asked directing the question to everyone around her.  
  
"Yes, we are. Have a problem with that?" Thomas asked pointedly.  
  
"It's just you'll look like High school rejects." She said with a casual shrug of her shoulders.  
  
"And we like it like that." Josh said looking down at his clothes.  
  
"I was just thinking something a little more stylish, something a little more." Nicole began only to be cut off by Eddie.  
  
"Ricky Martin?" He asked annoyed.  
  
"Please, that old guy? Not even. I was just thinking you could wear something a little more showy." She said looking up from the board.  
  
"Oh, are we set on the first song?" She asked with a smile.  
  
"Yes, since you insisted on singing it." Thomas said thinking of the way that they always caved so easily with her.  
  
"Who's handling the lights?" Eddie asked.  
  
"I thought Uncle Alex was." Josh said looking over at Thomas.  
  
"Yeah and my mom will handle the rest of the decorations and laser effects." Nicole said pulling her blonde hair out of her eyes.  
  
"So we have an hour and a half to get ready?" Nicole asked looking down at her watch seeing it was already 7:30.  
  
"You actually need an hour and a half to get ready?" Thomas asked still amazed at how very long it could take a girl to get dressed.  
  
"Well I better go start, don't want me to be late now do we? I'll meet you here, twenty minutes before nine, OK?" She asked the four guys rechecking their equipment for what seemed like the hundredth time.  
  
A string of 'laters' and 'yeahs' followed her as she made her way to the front door and out to the parking lot.  
  
She strolled to her car and jumped in before zooming across town to her house.  
  
Once she was there she found her Aunt Tess, Aunt Isabel, Aunt Liz, and her mother going through her closet.  
  
"Hello." She said loudly breaking up the conversation amongst the old time friends.  
  
"Hey honey. We're sorry we snooped but we were just wondering what you were going to wear. So we decided to find you something." Maria said taking out another dress.  
  
"I'd appreciate the help. The concert starts in an hour and a half, and I still haven't figured out what I want to wear." Nicole said tossing her messenger bag towards the corner of her other wise neat room and plopping down on her bed next to her aunt Izzy.  
  
Her mother took out another dress and smiled at her.  
  
"No. There's no way you're getting me up there in a dress." She said shaking her head firmly.  
  
"What'd you wear your first concert?" Nicole asked her mother as she began to sort through the close her mom had dumped on her desk.  
  
"This little halter top and pants, but I was thinking maybe you should wear something a little more stylish. Say how about this?" She asked holding up a silver metallic like top and a leather mini skirt she had never seen before.  
  
"Since when do I have a leather mini skirt?" She asked suspiciously.  
  
"Well you know your leather pants." Tess began but was cut off by Nicole.  
  
"Tell me you didn't, I really liked my pants and if you did." She looked at her and Tess quickly looked away.  
  
"I'll wear leather pants, but the skirt thing isn't happening. Neither is that." She said pointing to the top.  
  
"OK, so we have leather pants and no top." Isabel said wandering over to the closet where Maria was standing.  
  
She took out a blue tie top dress that went to floor. It was dark sparkle blue and had a sparkle Chinese design on the front with a small two-sided dragon in the center.  
  
"You people and your sparkles." She mumbled under her breath as she waved a hand over it making it a very short top.  
  
It tied around her neck and then linked right below her chest in the back.  
  
"OK, so I'll wear that." She said with a grin. She was going to knock the socks off of everyone in there.  
  
"Why don't you where any of these thing we buy you?" Liz asked looking through there and finding several tops and skirts hung up that looked as though they were never touched.  
  
"I like them but I'm more comfortable in my baggies." She said roaming through her magazine looking for a hairstyle.  
  
"Of course, your baggies." Maria said shaking her head. "You're so much like your father."  
  
"How about this?" She asked showing them a picture of a girl who had put all of her hair into mini buns leaving little bits sticking up.  
  
"I like this one better." Isabel said pointing to the cover of a different magazine all together.  
  
"Yeah I definitely go with Isabel." Maria said looking at the outrageous style her baby girl had chosen.  
  
"She could always roll them in section all the way back you know, like this." Tess said when she noticed no one was following her thoughts.  
  
She walked over to her niece and ran her hands across her hair and showed them what she had been unable to explain.  
  
"Cool." Nicole said as she looked over into her vanity mirror.  
  
She ran a hand over her hair undoing it before shooing her aunts and mother out so she could shower and change.  
  
She let the water rush over her taking away her stress with the hot stream of flowing water.  
  
She was more nervous then she'd like to believe. She had never really cared what others had thought of her she had no reason to. She had three wonderful best friends and a huge family that loved her unconditionally.  
  
She always figured that it didn't matter what she did or wore because her soul mate would love her for her not the person she pretended to be. She had seen her parents and Aunts and Uncles love each other through the rough and the smooth. Soul mate love was.. Something she had been wishing or since she had read her first love story. She couldn't wait to fall in love and it scared her to death at the same time.  
  
She turned off the water and made her way into her bedroom and over to her vanity to get ready.  
  
As soon as she was done she raced down stairs to tell her family good-bye.  
  
Her mother gave her a hug and squeezed her hands before letting her get to the door.  
  
She opened it as soon as her father came in from out side.  
  
"You're not wearing that!" He said protectively.  
  
"I wore stuff like that when I was sixteen." Maria said coming to her daughter's defense.  
  
"Yeah and we were together when you were sixteen, and I remember me at sixteen." He said trying to move both girls back into the living room entrance away from the door.  
  
Maria leaned over to kiss her husband as her daughter ducked under his arms and ran out the door offering a 'See you later' before jumping into her Jetta and speeding off towards the club.  
  
Once she arrived she walked into the club by the back door and found the guys sitting on the amps and Eddie on his drum seat.  
  
She boldly walked up the stairs and towards the three guys who were oblivious to her entrance.  
  
"Hey guys." She said casually before walking in front of Josh to sit between him and Thomas on the large amps.  
  
"Oh my God, your father let you out of the house like that?" Eddie was the first one to speak.  
  
"Not exactly." She said dipping her head slightly.  
  
"The old tag team trick?" Josh asked looking his cousin over.  
  
Nicole just smiled a little blush covering her cheeks as a small giggle escaped her lips.  
  
"So we set up?" She asked the three boys who were still staring at her in disbelief.  
  
"Yeah. You might want to double check your mike, I let Eddie set it up." Thomas said smiling over at his cousin sitting in the chair across the stage.  
  
"Shut up Whitman." Eddie said with a glare.  
  
"Make me Valenti." He said good naturally.  
  
"When do we start?" She asked double checking her mike.  
  
"Soon. Have you seen the crowd out there?" Eddie asked as he got up and walked to the side of the stage where the edge of the curtain was.  
  
"No. Why is it big?" She asked as she followed him, Thomas and Josh not far behind.  
  
As he lifted the curtain back revealing a huge crowd that covered the club from side to side, and back to front. Nicole started to hyperventilate.  
  
"I can't go out there, wearing this." She said as she backed up wrapped her arms around her bare midsection.  
  
"Why not?" Josh asked confused, he wasn't used to his cousin chickening out like that.  
  
"Because I just can't, OK? I've never stood let alone sung in a crowd that big before, and you expect me to go out there in. in this?" She asked her voice becoming higher and higher and her breathes shallower and shorter.  
  
"Chill drama queen, you'll be fine, if anyone can pull this off it's you because you never back down from anything." Josh said placing a comforting arm around her bare shoulders.  
  
"Yeah, and besides you look great." Thomas said placing an arm around her waist enter locking his hand with hers on the other side of her petite frame.  
  
"Yeah way better than us high school rejects." Eddie said gesturing to his own outfit.  
  
"Well I have to, you forget I'm the cool cousin." She said with a smile before taking a deep breath.  
  
"What ever you say Nicki." Eddie said raising his hands in defeat before turning around to find his soda and walking right into the manager of the club.  
  
"Are you ready?" He asked not waiting for greetings.  
  
"Yes sir." Thomas said with his two thumbs up gesture, taking his had from around his cousin.  
  
"Ready as we'll ever be." Nicole muttered as Thomas answered for them.  
  
The quickly took their positions as the curtain began to rise.  
  
Nicole took a deep breath as her cousins started the intro. to their first song, 'Tragic', She wrote it and Thomas had put music to it.  
  
The music started of soft, as did her voice.  
  
"I feel like jumping, isn't it tragic? I feel like over dosing, isn't it tragic? I feel like dying, isn't it tragic?"  
  
Her hips swung to the slow and steady beat.  
  
"You make me feel like living, isn't that romantic? You make me feel like flying, isn't that romantic?"  
  
As she began the next part of the song she snapped her eyes open for the first time since she had taken her position. Her voice took on a harden edge as did the music.  
  
"But you and me will never be, so I guess I'm back to my tragedy."  
  
They had finally completed their first session and went to take a small break.  
  
They went out into the audience to find their parents.  
  
"That was a nice opening song." Liz had said as they reached their table.  
  
"Hey don't look at me I didn't write it." Josh said pointing towards his cousin, Nicole.  
  
"What? I liked it." Nicole said shrugging her shoulders before taking a sip of her father's cherry cola.  
  
"It had a nice beat." Alex said from across the table looking at his son.  
  
"Thanks." Thomas said with a grin.  
  
"You all did wonderful." Isabel said in a motherly tone and a wide smile.  
  
"Thanks." The four said in unison.  
  
"I'll be right back I'm going to go get some water." She said as she headed to the bar to buy something.  
  
"Nice outfit, girlie." A guy said walking up behind her leaning in slightly to whisper it into her ear.  
  
She'd know that voice any where. She whipped her head around quickly not giving him a chance to back away.  
  
"Well if it isn't the Golden Toy himself. What brings you here?" She asked leaning in closer glaring at him.  
  
"Well you of course." He said with a mocking tilt of his head.  
  
"What can I get you?" The worker asked before she could smack Randy.  
  
"Water." She said not looking away from Randy's amused eyes.  
  
"What are you really doing here?" She asked as the man went to fetch her order.  
  
"Like I said," He answered as the man came back, "I came to see you." He finished getting up and throwing the man money for her water.  
  
"Later, girlie." He said as he walked off.  
  
"Golden Toy strikes again?" Eddie asked amused as his cousin came back to the table looking slightly flustered.  
  
"Shut up Valenti." She answered glaring at him furiously.  
  
"Oh, so what you want to play rough?" He asked even further reiterating her.  
  
"Don't make me hurt you." She said with a soft terrifying smile.  
  
"How about we go play before you two kill each other?" Josh asked as he got up and walked towards the stage not giving them a chance to protest.  
  
The other three followed orders and followed him to the stage.  
  
Nicole smiled as she found the pair of jade eyes she was looking for and started to sing, 'Golden Touch.'  
  
The End 


	3. Sugary Sweet Revenge 3

Title: Sugary Sweet Revenge (#3)  
  
Author: Vix  
  
Email: Vix_Chic@hotmail.com  
  
Rating: PG-Pg13  
  
Disclaimers: I own everyone except the parents.  
  
Summary: Just read it.  
  
Author's notes: FEED ME!  
  
"I want to go back." Nicole told Allan calmly. As calmly as a female Guerrin could after being repeatedly come on to and insulted.  
  
"Come on, you're no fun." He said moving towards her again.  
  
"If you don't take me back I'll walk." Nicole said inching towards the door in anger and fear.  
  
"It's too cold for a pretty little thing like you to be outside." He said moving even closer to her, "I'll keep you warm."  
  
"If you touch me. Let's just say it isn't a good idea." She said ice lacing her words and she meant every word.  
  
"What, you going to kill me, or are you going to have your little brothers attack?" He asked with a cocky grin.  
  
Everyone knew how protective her little brothers were. They weren't that little they were in the tenth grade and they were taller than she was.  
  
"There won't be much left to attack after I get done with you." She said menacingly, and it was true if he didn't let her go she would hurt him.  
  
"I have at least fifty pounds of muscle on you." He said a bit too smug for her liking.  
  
"If you don't take me home right now I think my family might have a big problem with you." She said with a tight smile.  
  
She wasn't kidding either. If her father and her uncle's didn't take care of him her cousins and brothers would. Of course that was all based on the assumption that her Aunt's and Mother didn't get a hold of him first. There wouldn't be any of him left if they did.  
  
"You know what. If you want me to take you back then maybe you should bribe me." He said wiggling his eyebrows.  
  
"OK." She said playing along with an overly done seductive voice.  
  
He moved in and she punched him as hard a she could right in the nose. She quickly got out of the car before he could get his grubby hands on her again.  
  
She had enough for one night and she didn't feel like going home, she felt like going to see her best friends. Which were in town which was a long way a way from where she was standing on the side of the road.  
  
She started to walk then it dawned on her that she left her jacket in Allan's car, and there was no way she going back there to get it.  
  
She looked down the dark road and started to walk again.  
  
Randy saw a figure walking in the dark as he drove up he recognized who it was immediately.  
  
Randy pulled up along side her, not completely stopping, and said, "Get in."  
  
At first Nicole had been startled but once she saw whom it was she felt a lot better.  
  
"Screw you." Nicole yelled back.  
  
"Listen, it's like 18 degrees outside with wind chill and you don't have a jacket. Get in the car and I'll take you home." Randy said driving very slowly down the deserted road.  
  
"What do you not understand about 'screw you'?" She asked in a heated tone.  
  
"Just get in, please." Randy said again as calmly as he could manage.  
  
"Listen Golden Toy, if you think." Nicole began stopping to look into the window at him.  
  
"That's it." Randy threw the car into park and got out.  
  
"Get in or we're both staying out here." He said walking beside her.  
  
"OK. What ever you say." Nicole said as she turned around and started walking in her original direction.  
  
"OK, plan B." Randy mumbled as he picked Nicole up and threw her over his shoulder and walked back to the car.  
  
Nicole thrashed around as best she could, but the boy had an iron grip around her.  
  
Once he had dumped her in the back seat of his car he got in beside her bringing the front seat to it's upright position so she couldn't get away from him.  
  
"Either you agree to stay in here and let me drive you somewhere or we both stay here till the temperature gets warmer. Take your pick girlie." He said staring at her.  
  
She felt so cold. She had only been walking for an hour but it was so cold outside and she was still so far from town.  
  
"I'm walking the rest of the way. Now let me out." Nicole said putting her arms around herself protectively.  
  
"I'm not letting you walk the rest of the way to your house. Your father would kill me, I should know I work for him." He said seriously.  
  
Randy had been working with her father at the art gallery for about a year now. He was an artist and he got ragged on for it but it paid good money to help out around there, and he had even sold one of his more flattering pieces.  
  
"I'm not going home, and if you don't let me out I'll kill you." She said leveling him with a glare.  
  
"No." He said firmly. "If I let you walk and you get kidnapped or if you freeze to death I'll have more than just your father to worry about." He said with genuine fear.  
  
"No one has to know you saw me out here. Just let me go and we'll both be happier." She said gripping on to her sides even tighter.  
  
"Why are you out here?" Randy asked curiously.  
  
"None of your business that's why." She said angrily.  
  
"Yeah you just happen to think that it'd be a great idea to take a stroll fifteen miles out of town in this kind of weather, right?" He asked sarcastically.  
  
"Wouldn't believe me if I told you because you're all the same." She said shaking her head slightly.  
  
"Whose all the same?" He asked a bit confused.  
  
"You jocks. You all stick together so it doesn't matter what I tell you, you won't believe me." She said her nails felt numb from the pressure.  
  
"Does that go for your cousin Eddie too?" Randy asked in disbelief.  
  
"He's different." She said instantly.  
  
"I thought you of all people wouldn't believe in those pathetic stereo types." He said shaking his head in disappointment.  
  
"I know you'd take your friends side over mine, it's not a stereo type, it's common sense." She said still glaring.  
  
"Who's this supposed friend?" He asked curiously.  
  
"Allan Johnson." She said scooting farther into the side of the car.  
  
"He's not my friend." He said anger in his eyes.  
  
"Why not?" She asked.  
  
"He's just not. He's not a respectable guy, and he's not a guy I want around me." He said shortly.  
  
"So what does he have to do about you freezing out here?" He finally asked the question she had been dreading.  
  
"Everything." She said with loathing in her voice.  
  
"What did he do?" His anger rising, if he hurt her.  
  
Nicole looked around the car trying to avoid his eyes.  
  
"Did he try to hurt you?" He asked point blank.  
  
"Don't worry about it." She said still avoiding his eyes.  
  
"What did he do?" He asked his voice raising in tone.  
  
"He wouldn't take me home and he advanced on me so I punched him and left." She said suddenly locking her eyes on her shoes.  
  
"How long ago was that?" He asked looking at the clock.  
  
"About an hour ago." She said quietly.  
  
"Where do you want me to take you?" He asked his teeth clenched.  
  
"My cousin's house." She said finally giving up on getting out of the car.  
  
"Which one?" He asked a bit confused.  
  
"I don't know who's home." She said quietly.  
  
He reached between the front seats and got out his cell phone. He handed it to her wordlessly.  
  
"Hey is Josh home? No don't worry about it. Just tell him I'll be over in a little bit, OK? OK, I love you too, bye." She said shutting the case and handing it to him.  
  
"I guess take me to Josh Evans' house." She said looking up at him finally.  
  
"OK." He said as he opened the door and got out standing there waiting for her to get out too.  
  
Once she was out he opened the passenger door for her then went to get in on his own side, like the perfect gentleman.  
  
"He lives where?" He asked as he turned the car on and began to drive towards town.  
  
"Murray Lane." She said simply as she ran her hands up and down over her cold arms.  
  
Randy looked over at her and shrugged off his leather jacket, "The heat doesn't work very well, I have to take it into the shop soon."  
  
He tossed it to her and she caught it stunned for a moment. She finally put it on and the warmth wrapped around her like a blanket.  
  
"Thanks." She said quietly starring out the window and into the dark sky ahead of them.  
  
"Didn't Eddie warn you about him?" He asked quickly.  
  
"He doesn't know I'm even out on a date." She said defending her cousin.  
  
"But no one has ever told you how Allan operates?" He asked again.  
  
"All I have heard are rumors, and I don't trust those." She said shortly now defending herself.  
  
"I hate him. He's a sleaze he does this to every girl he dates." He said his knuckles turning white.  
  
"You know how to make a girl feel special don't you?" She asked sarcastically.  
  
"Never date Allan, or any of his friends." He said looking over at her.  
  
"Sure boss, whatever you say." She said even though she fully planned to steer clear of dating any of the jock species.  
  
"I'm serious." He said looking back out the window.  
  
"Don't worry, I don't plan to date any jock ever again." She said with a tight grim smile.  
  
"Not all of us are all that bad, I mean take Eddie for example. He's an all right guy even if he lacks a little on the field. He's respectful to all the cheerleaders. He's dated all the cheerleaders." He said with a small chuckle.  
  
"I don't know how he has dated all of them he's not the brightest guy I know." She said honestly.  
  
"Yeah, but he's a jock. Jocks always get the cheerleaders. It's like an accessory that comes with the letterman jacket. Come to think of it, thanks for ruining my letterman jacket." He said as he turned to glare at her.  
  
"You spilt chocolate milk all over my sweater on purpose." She said glaring back at him.  
  
"I tripped." 'Over my tongue, which was on the ground because you wore that sweater,' He of course didn't add the last part.  
  
"Yeah but at least you got the chocolate milk out of yours." He said gesturing at the sweater she was wearing.  
  
"Yeah, I have a good dry cleaner." She lied.  
  
"Well not even a dry cleaner can get that stuff out of the leather, what was that any way. Cherry cola and Tabasco?" He asked.  
  
"As always." She said with a small smile.  
  
"I swear you have ruined more of my clothes with that drink than I have with anything else." He said shaking his head.  
  
"Tell you what, since I ruined you letterman jacket how about I get it fixed?" She asked looking over at him.  
  
"How, and how much will it cost?" He asked looking at her skeptically.  
  
"I have my ways, and nothing at all. Since I ruined it I'll fix it." She said looking back down at her shoes.  
  
"OK." He said turning into Murray lane, "I'll bring it by the office Monday. Now which house is Josh's?" He asked looking around at the houses that lined the street on both sides.  
  
"That one." She said pointing at a two-story house to the left of the street.  
  
He pulled up to the house and cut the engine of his mustang and parked it quietly.  
  
She began to take off his jacket. Once she had it off she turned to look at him, to thank him.  
  
His hand darted out and tucked a wild curl behind her ear gently resting at the side of her face for a moment longer than necessary.  
  
"Thank you." She said softly while looking into his green eyes. They weren't like her mothers at all. Her mother had vibrant cat like bright green eyes; instead his were a rare jade color. They were dark and shiny. They were. entrancing they were beautiful.  
  
"Your welcome." He said in the same manner.  
  
She opened the door and closed it quickly. She didn't look back as walked inside the house.  
  
Once she was safely inside he backed out of the driveway and made his way over to Eddie's with one thing on his mind.  
  
"Hey Aunt Liz. Where's Josh?" Nicole asked as she walked inside.  
  
"Up in his room." Max said walking up behind his wife and putting his arms around her pregnant waist.  
  
"Thanks Uncle Max." She said with a smile as she made her way to the stairs.  
  
'Definitely oblivious to the obvious.' She thought as she walked right into his room.  
  
"Hey, I've been waiting for you, what took so long?" He asked not turning away from his computer.  
  
"Are you and Thomas permanently attached to your computers?" She asked purposely avoiding the question.  
  
"Yes. Now stop delaying and answer my question." He said still not turning from the chat he was having with Eddie and Thomas.  
  
"I had to drive back from the desert." She said grabbing a piece of paper from his desk and a pencil from its holder. She took a moment to look around his room it was so neat, it was so. Josh. Her cousins were so different it was practically comical.  
  
Josh was a neat freak computer dweeb, Eddie was a disorganized jock, and the only thing Thomas didn't forget was anything about his computer, and she. she was the biggest controversial one of all.  
  
"What were you doing out there?" Josh asked confused typing a reply to Eddie.  
  
"Stargazing." She said bitterly as she grabbed a hardback book and laid down on his bed laying her head at the foot of his bed.  
  
"It's midnight, and your brother's have the Jetta. Who were you with?" He asked reading the conversation on the screen.  
  
"Allan Johnson." She mumbled in hopes that he wouldn't hear her.  
  
"What?" He asked loudly as he turned around sharply in his desk chair.  
  
"Chill out. Nothing happened." She said halfway honest.  
  
"So he turned out to not be a jerk after all?" He asked turning back to the computer.  
  
"No he's a total jerk." She said staring at the paper trying to figure out what to draw.  
  
"If he's such a jerk why'd he bring you back with out a fight. There wasn't a fight was there?" He asked looking over at her again.  
  
"He wouldn't take me back so I started walking." She said meeting his eyes.  
  
"So who brought you home?" He asked turning back to his computer to see what Eddie just said, "Randy Jackson?" He asked quietly.  
  
"Yeah, how did you know?" She asked confused.  
  
"I thought I heard his engine outside." He offered lamely as he quickly typed a reply into the computer and exited it so she couldn't see what he had said.  
  
"Oh." She said not believing him but not pushing him. She turned down to her blank sheet of paper and finally began to outline a figure.  
  
"Don't you have to be home soon?" Josh asked grabbing his jacket and car keys.  
  
"No, my curfew isn't till 12:30, and besides as long as I'm over here my parents don't care. Why are you trying to get me out of here so fast?" She asked as he picked her up and carried her out of his room and down the hall to the stairs. What was she tonight a sack of potatoes?  
  
"Because I'd love to stay and do the girl friend thing but I have to be some where. Now." He said checking his watch as he walked down the stairs.  
  
"Honey where are you going?" Aunt Liz asked from the couch where she sat with her husband.  
  
"To a friends, I have my pager and my cell phone. I might not be home tonight so don't freak out. Love you." He said in a rush as he put on his shoes and walked to the door.  
  
"Night Aunt Liz, Uncle Max." Nicole said as she followed her cousin to his jeep.  
  
"Where are we going?" Nicole asked as she jumped into the vehicle beside him.  
  
"You're going home and I'm going out." He said shortly as he started the jeep up and backed out of the driveway at an alarming speed.  
  
Nicole stared at the disappearing headlights of her cousin's automobile in confusion.  
  
He was up to something; he was definitely up to something. * "Why does all this matter to you any way?" Thomas asked staring at Randy.  
  
"He's just a jerk that needs to be put in his place. I want to help." He said shrugging his shoulders uncomfortably.  
  
Thomas, Josh, and Eddie sat there and looked him over. He seemed sincere, but there had to be a reason.  
  
"Why'd you come over here?" Eddie asked from his computer chair.  
  
"Because of something Nicole said." He said looking nervously between the three guys.  
  
"And what was that exactly?" Thomas asked suspiciously.  
  
"That she'd given up on every jock, and I figured if she did then eventually so would all the other girls and that wouldn't exactly do great for my social calendar, you get my drift?" He replied shortly.  
  
"Yeah. So you really think this'll work?" Josh asked the taller boy.  
  
Randy just smiled as he thought of what was going to happen to that poor Allan Johnson. *  
  
Nicole stared back and forth between the two guys on her right and left, Josh and Thomas.  
  
"What are you doing?" She asked as they grabbed a hold of her and pulled her towards the football field.  
  
"The boys are practicing we just wanted to see what our team looks like this year." Thomas offered lamely knowing she'd never buy it.  
  
"What are you doing?" She asked with a little more anger.  
  
"Just come on you won't be sorry.' Josh said as he walked towards the gate leading into the field.  
  
She stared around the over crowded bleachers and side lines as her cousins' lead her to the dug out.  
  
"Yeah, right like I believe that one. I know you're up to something, does this have something to do with." She was soon cut off by her cousin Eddie's voice booming through the speakers that were set up around the field.  
  
"You have your pies ready?" Eddie asked looking over to the dug out that had a quite few cheerleaders and other girls in it each with a pie in hand.  
  
"Here's yours." Josh said as he grabbed a chocolate pie and handed it to her before moving out of the way.  
  
"Get ready ladies cause here he comes!" Eddie said, as Allan Johnson was lead out of the other dug out, and across the field so he was in throwing range, with his hands tied behind his back and only a diaper on.  
  
Nicole laughed in spite herself they had even but a bonnet on his head, and a pacifier around his neck.  
  
Nicole was doubling over when the first pie hit him square on the stomach.  
  
The girls started to pelt them at him with a volatile force and then they dove for the extras on the table in front of them.  
  
She too took aim and let it fly.  
  
It landed right in the center of his face and crowd roared with laughter and applause.  
  
She started laughing even harder as the captains of the boys foot ball team, Randy, made him turn around so he could be covered in the pastry dishes.  
  
Who ever said revenge was sweet had no idea.  
  
The End 


	4. Like Father Like Son 4

Title: Like Father Like Son (#4)  
  
Author: Vix  
  
Email: Vix_Chic@hotmail.com  
  
Rating: Pg-13, maybe  
  
Category: Future Kids  
  
Summary: Read the title. History always repeats it self.  
  
Disclaimers: I own Amanda, Randy, Josh, Thomas, Eddie, Nicole, Josh, and Mrs. Burg.  
  
"Hi Amanda." Josh said quietly as he took his seat beside her at the lab table.  
  
"Hey." She said with a huge grin on her face.  
  
"How was your weekend?" He asked adjusting everything on his side of the table.  
  
"It was wonderful I spent the entire weekend camped out in Fraser Woods watching Venus in the morning sky. I love the stars and plants." She said tucking a piece of medium brown hair behind her ear.  
  
"That's the plant of." Josh began.  
  
"Love. My favorite planet of all." She said smiling at him again.  
  
"I still don't understand how you can be so happy on a Monday." He said shaking his head slightly.  
  
"It's called coffee and chocolate, they do work wonders." She said searching for a pencil.  
  
Once she had gotten the pencil from her pencil bag on the bottom rack of her chair she sat up in her seat. She accidentally clanked heads with Josh as he was leaning back into his seat after checking out the display at the front of their table.  
  
"OW." Amanda said grabbing her head.  
  
"I'm so sorry, are you OK?" Josh asked softly placing both hands on the side of her face.  
  
"Yeah, just wasn't expecting to run into that brick wall." She said playfully pointing at his head.  
  
"I'm really sorry." He said releasing her face from his big hands.  
  
"Don't be, I'm fine, you're fine. We'll live." She said slightly blushing.  
  
Mrs. Burg walked through the door.  
  
"POP QUIZ!" She said loudly with a smug smirk on her face.  
  
"Spoke too soon." Amanda said shaking her head slightly letting one section of hair fall over her face.  
  
Josh's hand instantly went out to replace it behind her ear. She looked up and smiled at him mouthing a small 'thank you' before Mrs. Burg slapped two quiz papers down on the desk giving them a hard look.  
  
Nicole looked over at Eddie and Thomas from her seat, next to Randy, then pointed to the two love sick nerds and rolled her eyes.  
  
They shook their heads with the affirmative, they had to do something about that and soon.  
  
Once Nicole had finished her work she put it up front and took out her binder and started to write.  
  
'Stranger to love But it accompanies you so much Stranger to pain But it won't seem to go away. Ask me what you gain if you live And I instead tell you what you lose if you die. And then I scream and then you cry. Straight answers come with a price something you can't pay Things never come nice and that's the way things are to stay.'  
  
"Do you always have to be so pessimistic?" Randy asked from his seat next to her, peering over her shoulder.  
  
"Big word for a jock." She said with a sarcastic smile and went back to her notebook.  
  
"You really should try to be happier half the time. I mean you might even seem human." He said with a cocky grin.  
  
"How would you know what I am? You're just a typical cave man jock, Golden Toy." She looked up at him angrily.  
  
"Well no one can really tell what you are under all that hostility." He said staring into her cool gray eyes.  
  
"I'm not hostile." She said looking straight at the board where the teacher was writing.  
  
"Yeah, whatever you say Girlie." He said.  
  
That was it. Nicole double-checked to make sure the teacher wouldn't see her and she smacked him right up side the back of his head.  
  
"That's what I said, Golden Toy." She said through gritted teeth.  
  
That's when she heard it a slight giggle. The famous giggle coming from the one and only Amanda.  
  
She glanced over at her cousin to see him whispering something into her ear making her giggle a little more than before. She looked over at him, when he backed away, with wide eyes before nudging him with her shoulder.  
  
"Definitely have to talk to him about that." Nicole mumble under her breath so only she could hear, but of course, Randy had heard.  
  
"Why, he's had this Jones for her since what, the beginning of time? He's making progress I mean look no drool." He said gesturing to his chin.  
  
"You're so mean." Nicole said trying not to let a small giggle escape.  
  
"Yeah, I might be mean but at least I'm not," He gathered his books as the bell rang, "hostile. Later Girlie." He finished with a sly smirk as he walked out of the door.  
  
Nicole shook her head muttering words she knew she wasn't supposed to use inside those walls and walked to the three people waiting for her by the door.  
  
"So lover boy, how's the Mrs.?" Nicole asked as she roughed up Josh's hair as she walked out the door of the biology room.  
  
"When will you stop calling us that?" He asked trying to fix his mop of dark hair.  
  
"When you ask her out." Eddie said dropping an arm around his cousin, Nicole.  
  
"I'm not sure I can ever stop I mean 'lover boy' is so good for black mail purposes." Thomas said walking backwards so he could face them.  
  
"Come boys, off to lunch we go." Nicole said putting her books inside her locker as her cousins did the same.  
  
"You really should ask her out." Nicole told Josh seriously as she bit into her hamburger.  
  
"And why, might I ask, would I want to do some thing that stupid?" Josh asked as he spread peanut butter over his chicken.  
  
"Come on dude, she was so flirting with you in bio. I mean come on, Planet of love." Eddie said drawing out the word 'love' as he rolled his eyes, his voice raising a few octaves.  
  
"That just happens to be her favorite planet, and that's normal for a teenage girl to like love." He mumbled embarrassed as he took a bite of his chicken.  
  
"Boy, you have to take the initiative. Take the dive." Thomas said taking a bite of his sandwich.  
  
"You remember what happened last time I took the dive?" He asked looking at the three responsible for almost killing him at the city pool when they were five.  
  
"Come on how was I supposed to know that you couldn't swim?' Eddie shrugged his shoulders.  
  
"I told you, like all the way down there in fact." He said slightly glaring at Eddie.  
  
"Why are you complaining? How do you think I felt? I was the only one with enough guts to explain to the parental units why their son was afraid to take a bath." Nicole said sipping on her drink.  
  
"Yeah, you did such a good job with that too." Eddie glared at her remembering his punishment.  
  
Nicole just smiled at him.  
  
"Do you think she'd say yes?" Josh asked quietly gazing over at Amanda who sat underneath a great tree reading a book.  
  
"You're so far gone." Thomas said shaking his head slightly.  
  
"What'd she say when she noticed your. unique taste in food?" Nicole asked a blushing Josh.  
  
"She said she thought it was cute and that it kind of added to my character." He replied taking another bite of his chicken.  
  
"OK, what did she say about your dorky tendencies?" Eddie asked.  
  
"I don't have any dorky tendencies." Josh glared at him.  
  
"Sure you don't." Eddie said a mocking smirk playing at his lips.  
  
"OK boys don't make me get off this bench." Nicole said sternly before looking at Josh, "Yes, she'll say yes, but you have to ask."  
  
"But she's. her and I'm me. It'd never work." Josh said hanging his head a little lower.  
  
"Please you two go together like two peas from the same pod chamber." Thomas said rolling his eyes.  
  
"That's the problem my dad did come from a pod, hers didn't." He said lowering his voice.  
  
"Is that what this is about?" Eddie asked softly, a deep contrast to his usual tone.  
  
"Partly, but I've never done anything like this. I mean I've never even kissed a girl." Josh said truthfully letting his nervousness finally fully show through.  
  
"You've never liked any other girl except for Amanda." Thomas reasoned.  
  
"She's more experienced than me, what if she's disappointed?" he asked looking over at Amanda again.  
  
"She won't be. Have you met your father? The Romeo of the millennium according to our folks." Nicole said raising her eyebrows.  
  
"She's going to turn me down." He said as he gathered his courage together. "But I have to ask." He stood up and threw his remaining food into his bag and began to walk towards his goal.  
  
"Go lover boy!" Thomas called out giving the patented 'Whitman' two thumbs up to his cousin's retreating form.  
  
"Hey Amanda." Josh said shyly ducking his head.  
  
"Hey!" She replied tossing her book to the side.  
  
"Sit." She said gesturing to the ground beside her.  
  
"What were you reading?" Josh asked as he sat down.  
  
"Nothing important." She said tossing the book into her bag.  
  
"Are you OK?" She asked as she watched Josh wring his hands together.  
  
"You look like there's something you want to say." She continued.  
  
"There is something I want to say, it's more like there's something I'd like to ask." He confessed keeping his eyes locked on his hands.  
  
"Ask away." She said instantly.  
  
"You know that. I was just thinking that maybe. This is really hard." Josh finally said looking up at her.  
  
"Just ask me." She said with a sweet smile and soft tone.  
  
"Would you like to go out sometime?" he asked looking at the ground again.  
  
"Like as friends?" She asked trying to clarify things in her head.  
  
"Like date." He said finally looking into her warm amber eyes.  
  
"I'd like that." She said giving him a thousand-watt smile.  
  
"Great, how about Friday? We'll go to the club. I'll pick you up around eight. I mean that's if it's OK with you." He said suddenly unsure of himself.  
  
"That's fine, that'll be great." She said grinning even wider.  
  
"Really?" He said starting to grin too.  
  
"Yeah." She replied as the bell rang bringing them back to reality.  
  
Josh stood up and proceeded to help Amanda before walking her to her next class. * Nicole watched her cousin pace around the length of his floor as did Eddie and Thomas.  
  
"Chill out. It's not a big deal." Eddie said with amusement.  
  
"Chill out, how am I supposed to chill out? I've never done this before." He said while looking at the two bottles in his hands.  
  
"It's just cologne." Thomas said taking them out of Josh's death grip.  
  
"Actually cologne plays a big part of the date. Women do this sniffing thing when they greet you." Eddie said in a matter-of-fact tone.  
  
"Sure we do." Nicole said as she raised her eyebrows.  
  
She got off of Josh's bed and took the bottles from Thomas. She sniffed each one then handed 'Polo Sport' to Josh, and putting the other one up.  
  
"Problem solved." She said as He sprayed some on his neck and clothes.  
  
"Now get going Romeo!" She shooed him out the bedroom door and down the hall, Eddie and Thomas right behind her.  
  
"OK, wish me luck." He said as he reached for his jeep keys.  
  
"You won't need it." His mother said as she came out of the kitchen, "You're a chip off the old block."  
  
She leaned back into her husbands awaiting arms.  
  
"Just don't trip over your tongue." Thomas said nodding his head.  
  
"Or your ears, and remember to not drool on her." Nicole added with a smirk.  
  
"Don't do anything I wouldn't." Eddie smiled.  
  
Max and Liz instantly glared at him.  
  
"Night." Josh said as he kissed his mother on the cheek and Nicole on the forehead before practically running out the door and jumping in his jeep.  
  
"Our baby's going on his first date." Nicole said in a nostalgic voice.  
  
"They grow up so fast, don't they?" Thomas played along putting an arm around Nicole and wiping away an invisible tear.  
  
"Come on we have to get going if we're going to make it there in time to watch him make a fool out of himself." Eddie said yanking at their arms.  
  
"We're not going to see him make a fool out of him self. We're going so we can pick on him for his sappiness. Never mind it's the same thing." Nicole said walking over and kissing Liz and Max on the cheek before picking up her keys off the coffee table and walking out the door.  
  
"Later." Thomas and Eddie called out as they followed her to the Jetta shutting the door behind them.  
  
"You're not going home to change?" Thomas asked from the front seat looking over Nicole's work clothes.  
  
She looked down at her dad's old overalls and an old work shirt that were both covered in paint.  
  
"Grab the wheel." She commanded.  
  
As soon as Thomas had it she waved a hand over her outfit turning it into tight jeans and a blue tank top that were spotless.  
  
"The hair." Eddie said pointing to her blonde curls.  
  
She brushed her hands through it making it shine and styling it to lay down flatter than usual. She then looked in the mirror and found her face to be covered in paint too.  
  
After she fixed that she took the wheel back, "Thanks."  
  
"Maybe we should change our appearance so they don't notice us." She said thoughtfully out into the car.  
  
Thomas looked at Eddie and Eddie shrugged his shoulders in answers, Thomas looked at Nicole and did the same.  
  
Once they pulled up in the parking lot and turned the engine off they began to 'help' each other with their new look.  
  
Nicole stepped out of her car with straight black hair a little longer than hers and higher cheekbones, a smaller nose, but her eyes remained their striking gray. Thomas came out with big blue eyes, lower cheekbones, hair to the tips of his ears that was a funny red color, and his nose had grown longer. Eddie on the other hand had green eyes, dark brown hair in a floppy cut, higher cheekbones, and a more defined jaw.  
  
Once they were inside they took the table closest to the couple. Once seated they ordered their drinks and began to follow out with their plan.  
  
"Either of you want to dance with a beautiful lady?" Nicole asked two boys as Josh and Amanda made their way to the dance floor.  
  
"Point one out and." Eddie began but was cut off by Nicole's platforms kicking into his shin.  
  
"I don't dance." Thomas said backing his legs out from underneath the table quickly.  
  
"Fine I'll go find some one else." She said defeated as she strolled up to the counter.  
  
"What'll be?" The bar tender asked.  
  
"Refill, cherry coke and lime." She said scooping out the guys around her.  
  
'Nerds, jocks, nerds, jocks, oh where does it end?' She thought to herself as she waited for her order.  
  
"A water, please." Randy asked the man as he came back to give Nicole her drink.  
  
"Thanks." Nicole said as she laid a couple of dollars on the bar and began to turn around.  
  
She knew he was there she recognized his voice, but she knew he wouldn't recognize hers she had been sure to 'change' it before getting into the club.  
  
"Excuse me." She said as she accidentally bumped into him looking up into his eyes.  
  
"Do I know you?" He asked trying to trace his memory back to a time or place he could recall seeing her.  
  
"Does that line work with all the cheerleaders?" She asked motioning to the letterman jacket he was sporting.  
  
He looked down at his newly cleaned jacket.  
  
"Do I know you?" He asked again with a small smile.  
  
"I'm just passing by never been here before in my life." She said as she leaned her back against the bar.  
  
"You seem familiar." He said still trying to place her.  
  
"I just have one of those faces." She said beginning to step away.  
  
"Would you like to dance?" He asked gently grabbing her arm.  
  
"Sure." She said walking over to her table and putting her drink down. Randy sat his down by hers and followed her to the dance floor.  
  
Nicole placed her hands around his neck softly. She was a bit surprised by the way he pulled her closer to his body.  
  
Sparks flared from her back to her neck then back again in secession. She was being tortured in the most pleasant way possible.  
  
She looked into his deep jade eyes and found a questioning look there.  
  
"What?" She asked curiously.  
  
"You seem so familiar." He said slightly shaking his head.  
  
"I told you I just have one of those faces." She said.  
  
"No you don't look familiar you feel familiar." He clarified.  
  
"There's just something about you." He said silently almost to him self, "You remind me of Nicole."  
  
She hesitated for a second, "Who?"  
  
"Just a girl I know. She um. she has your eyes." He said starting to blush slightly.  
  
"You have very pretty eyes." She said truthfully.  
  
"Thanks. I figured gray eyes were as uncommon as jade ones." He said still gazing into her eyes.  
  
As the song stopped and they reluctantly released each other she leaned in and whispered 'they are' into his ears before walking off and out the door.  
  
She walked calmly to the Jetta and sat down in the driver's seat before she had a serious break down.  
  
Thomas and Eddie came out side and found her laying her head against the steering wheel. She was already back to her normal appearance.  
  
"What happened?" Thomas asked getting in the passenger side of the Jetta.  
  
"Nothing happened." She said calmly not lifting her head off her zebra cover on her steering wheel.  
  
"Yeah, what ever you say." Eddie said in disbelief as he lounged comfortable in the back seat.  
  
"What happened to Josh and Amanda?" She asked trying to change the subject as she lifted her head.  
  
"They sat there and talked about astronomy. They have no life." Thomas said making a distasteful face.  
  
"He did feed her some line about Venus' brightness being pale in comparison to her eyes beauty, or something. I figure we can make him squirm with that one for a little while." Eddie said titling his head a little.  
  
"Yeah, I guess. Listen guy's I'm not feeling well. I think I'm going to go home and to bed. Where you want me to drop you?" She asked looking over to Thomas as he changed his face back.  
  
She looked over to Eddie who was doing the same.  
  
"I guess." Thomas began but was cut off by screeching tires.  
  
They jumped out of the car and ran to the figure that had just been hit.  
  
The explorer roared off to the main road and didn't slow down.  
  
Once they came closer to the figure they could make out two of them.  
  
Then they felt terror rip though their bodies as Josh put his hands over her body finding the damage and repairing it quickly.  
  
"Josh!" Nicole was the first one who found her voice as she stood there dumb struck with her cousins.  
  
"I'm sorry I couldn't just let her." He began looking up at them with tears streaming down his face.  
  
"I know." She said softly.  
  
"Oh my God, what are we going to do?" Eddie said putting his hands behind his head.  
  
"Please start by telling me what you just did." Amanda said trying to sit up.  
  
Josh put his arms around her shoulders to steady her.  
  
"We have to take her to your house." Thomas said getting his cell phone out of his pockets.  
  
"We have to tell our parents. I'll call them and have them meet us over there." Thomas said as he dialed his home phone number.  
  
"Get her in the jeep. I'll call my parents." Eddie began to speak finally.  
  
"We'll warn yours and meet you there." Nicole said walking over to put a reassuring hand on her cousin's arm, "It's going to be fine."  
  
She walked over to her car and sat down in the front seat.  
  
Thomas and Eddie followed her still talking to their parents.  
  
"Call my dad, Thomas and Eddie call Josh's parents." Nicole said starting the car her mind on autopilot.  
  
"I'm not telling Uncle Michael about this. He always kills the messenger," Thomas said shaking his head, " and if I get your mom. I don't even want to think about that."  
  
"If you want something done right get a Guerrin to do it." She said grabbing the phone out of his hands and dialing her number.  
  
"Daddy, I love you. What makes you think I want something? Fine, just go to Aunt Liz's and Uncle Max's we'll meet you there. Bring mom. OK, dad I really do love you." She finished a small tear sliding down her face.  
  
"It's going to be fine." Eddie said placing a hand on her shoulder as he hung up his cell.  
  
"You remember what happened last time one of us saved some one? Grandpa Valenti and Pierce were all over our parents." She said wiping at her tears.  
  
"Don't worry it'll be OK." Thomas said soothingly.  
  
"OK? Last time this happened my father killed someone!" She screamed.  
  
"Well Uncle Max couldn't let Aunt Liz go anymore than Josh could let Amanda." Eddie said softly letting the possibilities of what was to come wash over him.  
  
"Let's just hope she's as trust worthy as Aunt Liz was." Thomas said.  
  
From then on out they rode in silence until they reached the driveway of Josh's house.  
  
Five vehicles lined the driveway including the Jetta.  
  
As soon as Nicole reached the steps of the porch the jeep drove up with two stunned teenagers inside.  
  
They watched as Josh walked over to them with his arm supporting Amanda.  
  
Nicole walked up and into the house leaving the door open. Then entered Josh and Amanda, Eddie and Thomas were the last one's through the door shutting it soundlessly.  
  
Once they reached the living room Isabel and Alex shot up off the couch allowing Josh to lay down the girl.  
  
"What happened?" Max asked confused and worried.  
  
"Is she OK?" Isabel asked at the same time grabbing her husband's hands.  
  
"What happened?" Michael repeated Max's earlier question.  
  
"We need to go to the kitchen." She said leaving no room for discussion.  
  
She walked into the kitchen and leaned her head against the cool tile of the island. Thomas and Eddie stood on each side of her.  
  
"You all might want to sit down for this one." Nicole said as she took it upon her self to explain seeing as Josh was preoccupied.  
  
Once the parents had done as requested she took a deep breath and reached for her cousins' hands. She drew strength from them before starting the story.  
  
"As some of you know we followed Amanda and Josh on their date. When we were getting in the car ready to leave we heard screeching tires. We got out and walked over to the accident to find Josh hovering over Amanda as the car speed out towards the main road. He. he healed her." She said finishing.  
  
A deafening silence filled the now thick air. She took a small shuddering breath before adding, "We didn't know what to do. who to tell. what to tell. We didn't know what to tell her so we came to you." She finished looking up at eight very thoughtful adults.  
  
"We can't tell her." Michael said instantly, but regretfully. He didn't regret the words, only that the fact that they were true.  
  
"We have to tell her something." Tess said grabbing Kyle's hand on top the table.  
  
"She's right we have to tell her something." Maria said leaning against Michael as his arm came around her shoulder's pulling her closer.  
  
"Not again. I don't know if I can do this again." Isabel said shaking her head.  
  
Alex reached out and kissed her temple leaning his head against hers.  
  
"What are we going to do?" Liz asked the table as she too took comfort in Max's arms.  
  
"Tell her the truth." Josh said from the entrance to the kitchen.  
  
"We can't do that. We have finally gotten settled and we're safe. We can't risk it. We can't risk losing our families." Michael said.  
  
"We risked it once and it brought our families together. In fact if we wouldn't have risked it we wouldn't have any families right now." Max said.  
  
"We didn't risk it Maxwell, you risked it." Michael said evenly.  
  
"And I don't regret it one bit and neither do you." Max said looking over at Nicole then back to him.  
  
"Of course I don't, but it still such a big risk Max. We can tell her something else." Michael said.  
  
"We have to tell her the truth. We don't have a choice." Josh said walking over to the counter beside the island.  
  
"What do you mean we don't have a choice?" Alex asked.  
  
"On the way over here I asked her what she remembered and she told me that she was walking to the jeep and a car came out of now where and hit her. She said she knew she was dying and that some how I brought her back. She found the hand print." He said resting his head in his hands  
  
"Great." Michael said sarcastically.  
  
"I'm sorry, but I couldn't let her die." Josh said looking his uncle in the eyes.  
  
"Could you let Maria die?" He asked hoping he wasn't stepping out of line.  
  
"I know what you did and I know why you did it, and I'm sorry you had to make that kind of decision, but Josh you have to understand how hard it was for us when your father saved your mother. I don't want to put us let alone you kids through all that." Michael said.  
  
"She's different." Josh said silently almost to himself.  
  
"What are we supposed to tell her?" Eddie asked.  
  
"The truth." Josh said firmly.  
  
"I think we should ask what she thinks happened then just go with it if we can." Nicole said  
  
"And if we can't go with it?" Max asked.  
  
"Then we tell her the truth." Isabel said calmly.  
  
"Agreed?" Liz asked every one around her.  
  
"Agreed." Kyle and Tess said together.  
  
"Agreed." Maria said squeezing Michael's hand.  
  
"Sure." Alex said a bit nervous.  
  
"Ditto." Thomas said from Nicole's side.  
  
"Yeah I'm in." Eddie said taking a deep breath.  
  
"I don't like this." Michael said.  
  
Nicole looked over at her father, "What if it had been Mom that had been shot? What if it had been me that had been run over, or you for that matter? Would you like to be lied to? Would you feel like you deserved the truth?" She asked putting a death grip on her cousins' hands.  
  
"I'm out voted anyway." He said quietly avoiding all the questions.  
  
Josh was the first one out of the kitchen followed by the rest of the family.  
  
"Here we go." Thomas said taking a deep breath before following everyone out of the kitchen and into the living room.  
  
"Again." Alex added putting a comforting arm around Isabel and a hand on his son's shoulder.  
  
"Amanda can you sit up?" Josh asked softly to the goddess lying on the couch.  
  
"I think so." She said struggling to do so.  
  
Josh reached behind her and helped her right herself. He backed away slowly and found himself standing between his parents.  
  
"Amanda? I'm Liz. I'm Josh's mom." Liz said smiling at the younger girl.  
  
"Hi nice to meet you. Congratulations." She said gesturing to the lady's obviously pregnant stomach.  
  
"Thank you. I'm Max, Josh's dad." Max said with a slow warm smile of his own.  
  
Amanda just nodded.  
  
"I'm Maria and this is my husband Michael." Maria said gesturing to the man sitting beside her on the love seat.  
  
"They're my parents." Nicole said from her spot on the floor right in front of them.  
  
"I'm Alex and this is Isabel, we're Thomas' parents." Alex said waving his hand and Isabel smiling.  
  
"I'm Kyle, this is my wife Tess and that's our son Eddie." Kyle said gesturing to the said wife and son.  
  
"Nice to meet you, all of you." She said smiling slightly.  
  
"You wouldn't have any Tylenol would you?" She asked reaching for her head a little.  
  
"Sure." Josh said as he left the room and came back with both two Tylenol and a glass of water.  
  
"Thank. you." She said quietly.  
  
"Oh no, another one." Isabel said through gritted teeth.  
  
"Excuse me?" Amanda asked suddenly lost.  
  
"Amanda what do you remember about what happened tonight?" Max asked covering a smile.  
  
"We were walking to the jeep and a car hit me. I could feel myself beginning to shut down. beginning to die and then Josh. Josh saved me." She said looking over at Josh.  
  
He moved away from the couch and back next to his parents immediately fearing what her initial reaction would be about finding out about them. about him.  
  
"How do you think he healed you?" Michael asked softly.  
  
"I'm not sure. It does seem crazy doesn't it? I know I probably sound like I belong in a loony farm, but I know Josh did something he helped me some how." She said looking over at him with sincere eyes.  
  
"No honey, it doesn't seem like you're crazy. Actually I have a story to tell you." Liz said walking over to the couch and sitting beside her but far enough a way to be able to face her and the rest of the room.  
  
Max walked behind his wife seating him self close to her, "When's your curfew?" He asked.  
  
"It's Friday so I can stay out till 12:30. Why?" She asked confused.  
  
"What we have to tell you will take a while." Nicole said, "Maybe you should call your parents and tell them that you're staying with me." She said taking the portable off its base on the in table and handing it to her Uncle so he could pass it along to where Amanda was sitting.  
  
"OK." She said as she dialed the number to her house.  
  
"Mom, yeah. No everything's fine. Yes I know. Actually I was calling to see if I could stay with a friend. Nicole. No, Nicole Guerrin. Yes. At the club. I will. I promise. I love you too. Bye Mom." Amanda said as she hung up the phone and handed it back to Liz.  
  
"You said you had a story like mine?" Amanda said after taking a deep breath to prepare her self for what was to come.  
  
"When I was your age I was working at my fathers café." Liz began a long tale that would take a while to sort out. * Everyone looked expectantly at Amanda as the story was concluded.  
  
"Aliens. 1947. oh God, I really have gone crazy." She said her eyes widening before her head fell into her hands.  
  
"No you haven't gone crazy it's all true. We can prove it." Josh said pressing a hand against the couch.  
  
"Watch." He said as he changed the cream color to a bright red.  
  
"Joshua Michael Alexander Evans if you don't change the color back this instant pregnant or not I will do bodily harm to you." Liz said as she watched her furniture turn into a rainbow.  
  
He did as told.  
  
"What else can you do?" She asked a small tremor in her voice.  
  
"We can dream walk." Isabel said.  
  
"We can make people see things that aren't there." Tess volunteered.  
  
"We can heal, manipulate molecular structures, connect with people, we can put a shield up and." Max began to count off their other powers they had developed  
  
"We can blow things up." Michael said in a casual tone.  
  
"Great. I'm in a room full of aliens that can make me see things, but up a shield so I can't hurt them, torture me in my dreams and blow me up." Amanda said touching her hands back to her forehead.  
  
"I can understand if you're scared." Maria began but was cut off by Amanda.  
  
"No, I'm not scared. I was just thinking how lethal this could all be for you all if it got out. That's what other people would think. They'd see the bad." She said smiling reassuringly over at her.  
  
"Why don't you see the bad?" Josh asked.  
  
"Because of you. When we. connected," She said looking at the others to make sure that was what he had done once they all shook their heads in the affirmative she continued, "and you healed me I felt things. I felt how you felt towards your family. You weren't scared. I take that back you had a healthy fear of Mrs. Guerin and Nicole, but other than that all you felt for them was love and your need to keep them safe. I knew what you were thinking when you healed me. I knew how you felt towards me and I now know what you risked to save my life. I'm not scared. I'm impressed. I'm. I'm anything but scared." She said looking into Josh's beautiful golden chocolate eyes.  
  
"You can't tell anyone, you can't tell your mom, your friends. You have to keep this a secret." Michael said stressing the 'have to'.  
  
"You mean I have to lie." She said a bit dismayed.  
  
"Don't worry about it. I won't tell anyone. Besides, who would believe me?" She asked smiling a little. "I won't tell anyone." She repeated to reassure them.  
  
"How about some coffee?" Maria asked as she made her way to the kitchen.  
  
"With Tabasco?" Michael asked as he too walked that way.  
  
Isabel, Alex, Tess, Kyle, Eddie, Nicole, and Thomas followed them into the dinning area.  
  
Max on the other leaned against the bookcase between the entrance to the kitchen and the living room, unnoticed.  
  
"Thank you." Liz said small tears coming to her eyes.  
  
"No, thank you." Amanda said grabbing Liz's hand gently.  
  
"For what?" She asked confused.  
  
"For raising such a great son." Amanda replied her own eyes watering.  
  
Liz smiled and couldn't help but to hug her. Amanda returned the hug with a little less force scared of hurting her stomach because of the position they were in.  
  
Liz got up and walked towards the kitchen but not before roughing up her son's hair.  
  
Once she reached the entrance a hand reached out and brought her against his chest. Liz laid back and enjoyed the feeling of her husband.  
  
"Amanda would you like to talk, on the porch?" Josh added noticing his parents near by.  
  
"Sure." She said standing up, swaying a little.  
  
Josh was by her side instantly helping her to the door, grabbing his coat with the free arm.  
  
Max and Liz crept over to the closing door. They caught it before it could completely shut letting them hear the conversation outside.  
  
Once out side he helped her sit down gently on the porch's side, her feet swaying over the wooden edge.  
  
He sat down next her putting his jacket around her shoulders.  
  
"Are you OK?" He asked looking her over carefully.  
  
"Yes, I'm fine. You do good work." She said smiling.  
  
"Are you OK with all this?" He asked gesturing to what happened inside the house.  
  
"Does it matter whether I am or not? I have to live with it and you know what? It could be a lot worse. So I'm not complaining." She said seriously.  
  
"Are you grossed out?" He asked jumping off the porch and standing in front of her.  
  
"Why would I be?" She asked.  
  
"You know, you might think I'm three feet tall, green, and slimy." He said receiving a smile from her.  
  
"Well if you are three feet tall and green and slimy then so am I. You changed me, remember?" She asked seriously.  
  
"I'm sorry." He began to apologize again.  
  
"Don't be. I'm alive, you're alive, we'll live." She said smiling.  
  
"I didn't mean to mess up your life." He stated again ignoring her dismissal.  
  
"You didn't mess anything." She began again.  
  
"I can understand if you hate me." He said seriously looking into her eyes.  
  
"I don't hate you at all." She said firmly.  
  
She leaned in and kissed him like she had wanted to do all night. She let her tongue slip past his lips and explore every part of him, alien and human. She wrapped her arms around his neck bring him closer to her.  
  
He wrapped one arm around her body then another around her shoulders molding her body to his. His hand's trailed up and into her hair. He almost moaned when her tongue tentatively reached for his lips. He, of course, responded quiet quickly.  
  
"Did that get through that brick wall?" She asked smiling as she reached up and placed her hands on each side of his face.  
  
"I have to say this has been the most interesting first date I've ever been on. How exactly to do you plan to top it next time?" She asked pulling him closer for another kiss.  
  
Liz began to walk towards the noisy kitchen with her husband in tow.  
  
Liz stopped right before she reached the entrance and whispered to her husband, "Like father."  
  
"Like son." He finished kissing the top on her head.  
  
The End 


	5. First Impressions 5

Title: First Impressions (#5)  
  
Author: Vix  
  
Email: Vix_Chic@hotmail.com  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Disclaimers: I own every one except for the originals.  
  
Category: Future Children  
  
"Come on, you guys are no fun." Eddie said to Thomas and Nicole as he got out of the Jetta.  
  
"No, we are fun, we're just not athletic." Nicole clarified as she waved good-bye and drove off.  
  
"Great." Eddie said as he made his way to the empty basketball court.  
  
He dropped his water bottle he was carrying on the bench and proceed to take off his shirt revealing a well toned chest and stomach.  
  
He lines up his first shot the hot New Mexico sun at his back.  
  
After two set's of twenty right handed and left handed lay ups he started to practice his free throws.  
  
He missed every shot of his first set. In frustration he threw the ball as hard as he could at the backboard making it shoot back at him.  
  
As he went to catch the ball a voice startled him from behind, "Very manly aren't we."  
  
The ball came crashing into his stomach sending pain through out his abdomen.  
  
"What?" He asked as he turned around making the sun light reflect of his wet chest as he straightened his back to stand completely, the pain fading  
  
"Your obvious demonstration of your strength. It's a typical male movement to prove that they are. king of the jungle so to speak." She said putting her hands on her Blue Jean covered hips.  
  
She had a blue sweat top over a spandex like shirt that went to right above her belly button and short cut offs.  
  
"No that movement was to prove nothing except I suck at free throws and it pisses me off." He said with sarcastic smile already annoyed.  
  
"Whatever." She said in dismissal, "Are you going to be playing here all day?"  
  
"That was the plan." He said turning to shoot again.  
  
She bit her lip as his glimmering back muscles flexed when he shot the ball towards the hoop.  
  
He missed it. by about a mile.  
  
"Who are you?" she asked as she walked over to pick up the ball.  
  
A cloud crept up on the sun making the earth below it shaded.  
  
That's when he saw her completely, and that's when he stopped breathing.  
  
She had her blonde hair in a ponytail high up on her head. Her eyes were fierce and an interesting sapphire blue color like dark stone spheres, and did she have a body. She looked like the athletic type.  
  
"Are you new?" He asked completely ignoring her previous question.  
  
"Depends. Who are you?" She replied as she started to dribble the basketball towards him.  
  
"I'm Edward Valenti. Now are you new here?" He asked again as he reached for his ball.  
  
Seeing what he was doing she took a quick step back surprising him; "I'm Julie Bradfield. Yes I'm new. How long have you been here Edward."  
  
"My friends call me Eddie, I have lived her basically my whole life. Are you a cheerleader?" He asked curiously.  
  
"Well Edward do I look like an air-head?" She asked with distaste turning to shoot a free throw.  
  
Eddie's jaw dropped as it swooshed.  
  
"Cheerleaders aren't air-heads." Eddie said as she tossed him the ball.  
  
"You must date one then." She said checking him out as he lined up his shot.  
  
"Actually if you must know I'm single. If you're not a cheerleader then what are you?" He asked letting the ball fly from his fingers.  
  
"What says I have to be something?" She asked with raised eyebrows.  
  
"It's just I don't see many brains with your beauty." He said smoothly.  
  
"Excuse me? Did you just say because I'm pretty I can't be smart? Let me tell you something boy, I don't now where you get off thinking." She began but was interrupted by Eddie.  
  
"You need to meet my cousin." He said shaking his head.  
  
"Why?" She asked her tirade forgotten when his bright blue eyes met hers.  
  
"She's like you except she's not a jock." He said tossing her the ball.  
  
"How did you know I'm a jock?" She asked lining up her shot.  
  
He watched her form. He watched her lift herself up on her toes calves flexed; her arms fly over her head arm muscles taunt and her soft hands release the ball sending it spiraling into the hoop.  
  
She turned to look at him. He quickly looked away embarrassed.  
  
"I just figured if you weren't a cheerleader you were an athlete." He said truthfully still starring at his Nikes.  
  
"I'm trying out for the basketball team Monday." She said as she reached for her forgotten water bottle.  
  
"You'll make it." He said.  
  
A car pulled up and he honked its horn.  
  
"My friends call me Jewels." She said with a smile as she began to walk off.  
  
"Bye Julie." He said with a smile playing at his own lips.  
  
The End 


	6. Hero of the Day 6

Title: Hero of the Day (#6)  
  
Author: Vix  
  
Email: Vix_Chic@hotmail.com FEED ME!  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Category: Future Children  
  
Disclaimers: I own everyone except for the main characters from the actual show 'Roswell'  
  
Nicole watched with Thomas as more and more students accumulated at the front office.  
  
"What'd I miss?' Nicole asked as she kept walking towards their homeroom.  
  
"I have no clue." Thomas said as he walked with her.  
  
"East Roswell burned down so over half the students transferred here." Eddie said as he joined them.  
  
A guy walked up wearing a letterman jacket, "Can you tell me where the front office is?"  
  
"Can't you read a map?" Nicole asked before walking off.  
  
Thomas and Eddie pointed him in the right direction before catching up with the shrew herself.  
  
"Great that's all we need less room and more jocks." Nicole said as they joined her once more.  
  
"You need to work on your social skills." Thomas said looking down at her.  
  
"What social skills?" Eddie asked with a smirk.  
  
His smirk was quickly removed as Nicole elbowed him hard in the stomach.  
  
The bell rang as they found their homeroom seats.  
  
"Class, as many of you know we have several new students," The teacher began gesturing to the nine new kids standing in the back of the room, "East Roswell High has unfortunately burned down and they are going to be here for the rest of the school year. Please step forward when I call your name."   
  
Once all the new students were introduced class finally officially began.  
  
Second hour went by like a snail going up a heel. Math had never really interested anyone into a frenzy though.  
  
  
  
"I'm telling you it's a conspiracy." Nicole raved as she walked off to her lab table away from her cousins.  
  
Josh and Thomas just shook their heads as they too found their seats.  
  
"Hi. You're that spitfire I met earlier aren't you? Name's Rick." The smug jock from the hallway said as he plopped down in the empty seat beside her.  
  
"Don't call me spitfire and that seat is taken." She said as she turned to look at him.  
  
"Sorry girlie. Who's sitting here? Your boyfriend?" He asked still smiling.  
  
"Don't you ever call me Girlie unless you want a broken nose, and no my boyfriend doesn't sit there." She said in almost a growling tone.  
  
"Oh, so what do I call you and where does your boyfriend sit?" He asked still not taking the hint.  
  
"You don't call me and I don't have a boyfriend." She said watching the door praying to whatever alien god existed that a certain jock would walk through it and put her out of her misery.  
  
"I find it hard to believe that such a pretty girl like you doesn't have a boyfriend." He said still sitting there calmly.  
  
"Well believe it. Most say I'm a bit hostile." She said as her eyes went over to her cousins.  
  
Josh was sitting and talking quietly with his girl friend, Amanda, and Eddie was looking from his textbook then to some chick in a letterman jacket and then back again trying to act inconspicuous.  
  
'A lot of help you two are.' She thought as Rick started to talk again.  
  
"Since you don't have a boyfriend, how would you like going out this weekend?" He asked raising his eyebrows in invitation.  
  
"How about I." Nicole began but was cut off by a much lower voice.  
  
"This is my seat." Randy almost barked out at Rick.  
  
"Sorry buddy. I was just talking to this beautiful lady, so how about it? This Friday?" He asked practically ignoring Randy.  
  
"Get out of my seat Gordon." Randy said looking as though he wanted to lounge at the boy in front of him.  
  
"Hold on Jackson. What's the big deal? Class doesn't start for two minutes. Is this your chick or something?" He asked proceeding to piss him off even more.  
  
"Listen Rick. You should go, Randy and I have some things to look over for an assignment." She said mustering up a fake smile.  
  
"OK, so you'll get back to me about this Friday?" He asked beginning to stand.  
  
"Sure." She said swallowing the bile in her throat.  
  
"Bye girlie." He said before he could catch himself.  
  
Randy was ready to swing but barely stopped himself as Rick walked off.  
  
"I hate that guy." He said bitterly as he tossed his books on the table.  
  
"You and me both. Hey, you joining the dark side or what?" She asked finally smiling for real.  
  
"Come again?" He asked a bit confused.  
  
"So far you hate two jocks Rick and Allan. At this rate by the end of the year you'll be like me, you know, anti-jock." She said seriously.  
  
"No. I just don't like scum bags that's all." He said glaring to where Rick was now sitting with a couple of East football players.  
  
"Oh, so what'd this one do? Each jock I meet makes me wish I could just obliterate their kind you know?" She asked searching for a pencil.  
  
"So that go for the good jocks too?" He asked bring out his own pencil.  
  
"What good jocks?" She asked looking up from her pencil bag.  
  
"Ha ha, very funny. Seriously though, what about Eddie?" He asked.  
  
"He's not the only good jock I can think of." She said evenly not looking at him.  
  
"Really?" He asked softly.  
  
"I can't find my pencil." She said frustrated avoiding the question.  
  
"Here." He said as he handed an already sharpened one covered with sparkly glittering alien heads.  
  
"Nice." She said sarcastically, as she looked it over.  
  
"Would you rather write with your fingers?" He asked not amused.  
  
"Do you believe in aliens?" She asked cautiously.  
  
"Yeah, but I don't think they look like that." He said pointing to the alien head closes to her fingers gently brushing them with his own.  
  
"Why not?" She asked still a little nervous of his answer.  
  
"Well when you live in Roswell like we do you get to see the stars a lot, right?" He asked looking into her eyes.  
  
"Yeah." She said.  
  
"Well if aliens do exist and they come from those stars there is no way they can be gross or disgusting. They have to be. beautiful." He said turning around in his seat quickly as Mrs. Burg walked into the room.  
  
Nicole sat there looking straight ahead practically dumbfounded. She coughed trying to un-jam her heart that was permanently stuck in her throat.  
  
Randy looked over to her concerned almost. She tried to smile but ended up coughing again. She swallowed and placed both hands on the table before taking a deep breath. She watched as Randy reached for a piece of paper that had landed on her desk.  
  
Her small hand snaked out in just enough time to recover the football shaped note before Randy could. She drug out her notebook opening it and placing the now unfolded note in it. She began to read it, as did Randy:  
  
'Hey girlie,  
  
I know you don't want me to call you that but till you surrender your name that's what I'm going to have to call you.  
  
Are you thinking about Friday? It'll be fun. I promise.  
  
Later,  
  
Rick'  
  
Randy reached out for the note and crumpled it up before shooting for the trash can by the back door.  
  
"Jealous Golden Toy?" She asked smiling.  
  
"Not at all, Girlie." He said relieved, "He's like Allan. Only from East." He said.  
  
"Yeah, but that doesn't matter." She said quietly.  
  
"Why doesn't it?" Randy asked confused.  
  
"Cause he's a jock, and unless you forgot my dating rules strictly prohibit dating a jock." She said copying down what the teacher was writing on the board.  
  
She looked down at the pencil he had let her borrow and what he had said about aliens and that they had to be beautiful resounded in her head.  
  
She leaned over towards him before whispering, "That is unless he's special."  
  
With that they both went back to their notes, a simple smile at their face.  
  
*  
  
Nicole carefully climbed the latter sticking the books in their proper order.  
  
She couldn't believe she still had library duty during lunch. No matter how many times she explained or begged they still wouldn't let her and her partner in crime, as they had put it, off the hook.  
  
  
  
"Randy, hand me those." She called down pointing to the stack of books on his left.  
  
"I'll be right back. I have to find the N's." He said as he handed her the rest of the 'M' books one by one.  
  
"OK." She said trying to figure out who would want to read, 'Math Today, Future Tomorrow.'  
  
As Randy left to find the forgotten stack of books Rick quietly crept up.  
  
"Hey Girlie." He said from behind her.  
  
"Listen buddy, I wasn't joking about the broken nose thing No one, and I mean absolutely no one calls me Girlie." Nicole said not turning around.  
  
"Well if you told me your name I could call you that." He said as he tried to 'help' her down.  
  
"Get your grubby jock hands off my hips. Now!" She hissed menacingly.  
  
Once he removed his hands she jumped off quickly. He instantly started to advance on her.  
  
"Come on, there's no reason to be scared." He said as she began to back up.  
  
"I'm not scared. I'm just not interested." She said trying to get herself out of a corner she had subconsciously been backed into.  
  
"You know you're interested." He said as he leaned down to kiss her.  
  
She spit in his face enraging him.  
  
"You little whore." He said intensely as he readied his hand to smack her, and she knew she was going to be slapped.  
  
She stood up a little more bracing herself for the pain and the backlash, but before his hand could make contact he was whirled around by a very angry Randy.  
  
"What do you think you're doing?" Rick asked seething.  
  
Randy didn't say a word as his fist came crashing into Rick's face. Rick hollowed in pain as he hit the bookcase. He lunged for Randy, but Nicole's word stopped him.  
  
"Do it and I tell. Sexual harassment is still a big thing here in the land of the brave and the free. If you hit him you'll not only get suspended but probably get jail time too." She said walking over to stand in front of Randy.  
  
"You're 17 Gordon, they'll try you as an adult. That's definite jail time." Randy said his hands still clenched in fists.  
  
"And if I don't, we let it all go right?" Rick asked still in a fighting position.  
  
"Right. I won't even tell my diary." Nicole said with a fake smile.  
  
Randy on the other hand just nodded. Rick looked from one to the other then back again before walking off completely.  
  
"Are you OK?" Randy asked as he spun her around to look her over for damage.  
  
"I'm fine. Thanks to you and your jock strength." She said as she brought his still closed fist up to her mouth kissing each knuckle softly.  
  
"Thank you. I mean I don't know what he would have done to me." She said looking into his jade eyes.  
  
"Same thing Allan would have." He said solemnly while looking into her deep steal eyes that now had a blue tint.  
  
"You're happy." He said quietly to himself.  
  
"What?" She asked confused.  
  
"When you're happy your eyes get just this tiny hint of blue to them." He said bring up his free hand and cupping her cheek with it. Nicole stopped breathing as he wet his lips and started to lean in.  
  
"Are you two all right?" The Liberian asked as she began to turn the corner.  
  
Nicole and Randy jumped a part right before she came into view.  
  
"Yes ma'am we're fine." Nicole said plastering a smile on her face.  
  
"Are you sure I heard screaming?" She said looking around.  
  
"Yeah, being the clumsy person I am I fell off the latter and lucky for me Randy caught me before I hit the ground." She said the first thing that came to mind.  
  
"Well you're quite the hero aren't you?" The Liberian asked.  
  
'You have no idea.' Nicole thought as the lady walked off.  
  
"Where were we?" Randy asked as he came up behind Nicole nearly touching her.  
  
"We were getting ready to." The bell rang shocking them both, "go to class." She finished disappointedly.  
  
As she went to grab her backpack she felt someone run their hand over her arm briefly, "Bye Girlie."  
  
She looked up and found a smiling Randy walking out of the door to the library, "Bye Golden Toy." With that he was gone  
  
The End 


	7. A First Time for Everything 7

-1Title: A First Time for Everything (#7)

Author: Vix

E-mail: Pg-13

Category: Future Children- Amanda/Josh-NICOLE/RANDY

Disclaimers: I own every kid 0)… the parents aren't mine. 0(

Dedication: To MIMI!!!!

Summary: There's a first time for everything… even an Eraser Room trip.

"This is just great." Nicole said under her breath.

"Tell me about it." Randy said in agreement as he wrote down the notes to study over for the approaching chapter test.

Nicole looked over to Josh and Amanda and her jaw dropped… they weren't there.

She had talked to both Josh and Amanda before second hour, but now they were no where to be found.

"Where's Joshie boy? He finally take a trip to the ER?" Randy asked as he traced her line of vision to the empty lab table.

Nicole shuddered with nausea at the thought, "don't even say something like that."

"What scared your losing your cousin or jealous because you've never been there first hand?" He asked playfully.

"How do you know where I have been?" She asked looking down at her notes. She'd have to copy them for the two TMIA's- Teens Missing In Action, but then again they weren't really missing any 'action' if they were in the Eraser Room.

"Well I know a lot about you." Randy said throwing her a long side ways glance.

"Yeah? And how do you know these things?" She asked not even moving, extremely aware of his dark eyes on her.

"Because I know you. Nic, we have been going to the same school for almost what, 11 years? Now you tell me how I couldn't know you?" He asked quietly.

"There are a lot of things you don't know about me." She said looking over at him.

"Try me." He said smugly.

"OK, when was my first kiss." She asked.

"Second grade under the monkey bars, with Steven Murray." He said instantly remembering how much trouble she had gotten in after she had punched him, giving him a black eye.

"OK, when was my first dance?" She asked not even knowing the answer to that one.

"School dance?" He asked trying to narrow down the category.

"Sure." She said looking back up to the board.

"6th grade. It was the first year we were allowed to go to the sock hop." He said after thinking for a moment.

"First hair cut?" She asked.

"Come on. Be realistic." He said shaking his head in disapproval.

"Fine first real boy friend." She said instantly regretting the words that came out of her mouth.

"You've had a boyfriend?" He asked confused and instantly jealous.

"Wouldn't you like to know." She said as the bell rung.

With a playful smile on her face she lifted her bag and notebook bidding farewell before she made the short trip to the ER.

She knocked on the door feeling completely stupid. From inside she heard a few moans but she could tell that her attempts to get their attention had gone unnoticed.

She grabbed the knob 'fixing' it before covering her eyes and walking inside.

"Nicole!" Amanda hissed pulling her shirt closed.

Nicole peeked out through her fingers to find two heavily breathing and blushing teens. She removed her hand completely.

"Hey." She said handing her notebook to Amanda.

"Hold this open." She said as she flipped through it to find the place of her notes she had just taken.

Once she hand found her place she ran her hands over the page making it copy to the two blank sheets of paper behind it, "These are the notes you two missed in biology."

"Thanks." Josh said coming up behind his girlfriend and putting his arms around her waist drawing her closer to him.

"You know if your mom found out about this she'd go into birth early." Nicole said grabbing her notebook, handing Amanda the sheets, and reaching for the door

"She's not going to find out, is she?" Josh asked grabbing her arm.

"As long as my father doesn't find out the next time I take a trip to the Eraser Room." She said with a serious face before walking out the door.

"Next time? There's been a first time?" Josh asked in a frenzy before the door shut loudly. Amanda laughed slightly before pulling him in for another kiss.

"Next time?" Randy asked amused.

"What are you doing here?" She said startled to find him eavesdropping.

"What do you mean what am I doing here? It's lunch time." He said confused.

"We don't eat lunch together." She said walking towards her locker.

"We're already late for library duty." He said throwing her a smile.

"Turns out that she needs extra help because two dips took all the card catalog trays out and dumped them." He said hanging his head and leaning against a near by locker while Nicole emptied her supplies into her own locker.

"That's just great." She said bringing out her songbook a piece of paper falling from it.

Instantly they both dove for it. Randy's hand captured hers instead of the intend paper that it had suddenly covered.

"Give." He said grabbing on to the other side of it.

"No." she said trying to get it away from him.

"Hello Mrs. Hindman." Randy said looking over Nicole's head at the librarian.

Nicole whipped around and straightened herself forgetting the paper; "We were just on our way to the library."

Randy folded the paper quickly and placed it into his back pocket.

"Here's the keys. There has been an emergency with my sister and I have to leave early. Lock up after you're done with the mess." She said quickly while tossing Nicole the keys and walking off towards the exit that led to the parking lot.

"OK." Nicole said looking down at the keys in her hand then to the back of the quickly retreating librarian.

"Come on." Randy said nudging her with his shoulder before walking in the direction of the library.

"We're never going to get this finished." Nicole said as she slammed her songbook down on the closest library desk.

"Next hour is study hall, we'll just stay." He said tossing his book bag on a near by table.

"Try explaining that to our teacher." She said sarcastically as she plopped down on the floor Indian style.

"OK." He said calmly as he walked over to the teacher's computer. He sent an instant message to the study hall room.

"You so suck." She said as he walked back towards her smiling.

"It's a jock thing." He said still grinning.

"It's a jock thing." Nicole mimicked as he sat down beside her.

"OK, you have had this hatred for jocks since what? Birth! Would you like to tell me why?" He asked looking over at her in bewilderment.

"No actually I wouldn't." She said with a fake smile as she went back to the cards.

"No actually I wouldn't," He said tossing his head slightly and making his voice high pitched.

"Bite me." Nicole said as she continued to sort the cards into two piles.

Randy took a minute to look her up and down…

As he opened his mouth to respond Nicole turned to glare at him, "Don't even think about it."

"What idiots knocked this over?" Nicole asked an hour later.

"Freshman." Randy replied and some how that one title said it all.

"Speaking of fish did you know that a pair of freshman got caught in the eraser room last week?" Nicole asked looking over at him.

They had effectively divided the cards into two piles then from there into kinds, title; author; subject, they were now dividing them by order.

"I've never got caught in the ER." He bragged.

"That's because you've never been to the Eraser Room Golden Toy." She said rolling her eyes.

"How do you know?" He asked confused.

"Well let's see, no girl in her right mind would ever touch you…not even a blond." She said looking him over and secretly biting her lip to keep from jumping him on the spot.

"What ever you say Girlie." He added, "You know you want to jump me."

"You are so full of your self." She said keeping her head down so he couldn't see her blushing.

"Sure I am." He said not buying it.

"If I wanted to jump you what do you think is stopping me?" She said still keeping her eyes on her sorting.

"That's what I can't figure out. When you want something you go for it. No ifs ands or buts about it." He said looking down at what he was doing.

"Then that just proves my point… I don't want you." She said biting her lip again.

"Yeah well if that was true you wouldn't be chewing on your lip right now, now would you?" He asked not even moving his head to look at her.

She let her lip fall from her teeth and looked over at him in surprise.

"Who do you think you are telling me what I'm doing and what I want and don't want you don't even know a thing about me." She said getting to her feet.

He too stood, "Well obviously I do know something about you because I was right."

"And how exactly do you know you were right?" She asked raising her voice.

"Because if I wasn't you wouldn't be throwing such a hissy fit!" He said matching her tone.

"You want to know something Golden Toy? I'll let you in on a little secret you're not as…" Nicole began but was quickly cut off.

Randy couldn't take another moment of her ample soft mouth running a mile a minute… Golden Toy… she was teasing him so much it wasn't even funny. That's why he grabbed her neck, gently, and guided her lips to his own. Never in this world did he think he could find something that tasted so spicy and so sweet at the same time. He didn't know what was going on but suddenly he was sitting on a nearby chair, and she… she was sitting on his lap… straddling him actually.

'Oh my God oh my God oh my God…………..Oh my God! What's going on? Why am I still kissing him? Because he's hot and sweet and he taste so good… No I shouldn't be doing this he's a jock… he's a jock… he's evil… he's a built jock!' Nicole thought as Randy's arms came around her waist and one hand trailed up into her hair, 'He's a very built jock…this feels good… this feels very good. Oh my God oh My God…"

"Is that the only way to shut you up?" Randy asked as he pulled back from her slightly but leaving his arms around her.

Nicole smiled as she leaned in to kiss him again, but he pulled back. Instantly she looked like she had been struck.

"Come on." He said kissing her on her nose and keeping his fingers intertwined with her own.

She did as told and stood up and followed him out the door of the library. When out side he let go of her hand and started to walk ahead of her. She followed him physically… but mentally…

Once they found their way into the high school hallway and past over half the classrooms he stopped and leaned against a door. He smiled at her and then opened it slowly, "Come on."

She looked at him confused then she looked above his head… at the door's title… Eraser Room…

The End


	8. Girls Just Want to Have Fun 8

-1Title: Girls Just Want to Have Fun (#8)

Author: Vix

Email: PG-13

Summary: Like I'll ever tell.

Spoilers: Everything up to Viva Las Vegas… just in case.

Disclaimers: I own every character on here except for Maria, Michael, Liz, Max, Alex, Isabel, Tess, Kyle, Jim, Amy, Laurie, and anyone else who the WB would like to claim. Please don't sue me I'm only in Junior High! But if you'd like to give me a job… it was worth a try wasn't it???!!

Amanda walked through the back parking lot door and noticed Nicole leaning against her car door.

"Hey." Amanda called kindly as she walked to her automobile.

"Hi. You doing anything tonight with Joshie-boy?" Nicole asked standing up completely.

"No, he has to study for that biology test we have Tuesday. I offered to help, but he didn't think we'd get much work done." Amanda said blushing.

"I think he's right." Nicole said trying to shake the unwanted picture of Josh and Amanda in the Eraser Room out of her brain.

"Why you ask?" Amanda asked sweeping a lock of hair behind her ear.

"I was thinking that you could stay the night tonight, and we could do the whole chick thing." Nicole said shifting her weight from foot to foot then back again.

"OK. I'll call my mom… You want a ride?" Amanda asked as she looked around the parking lot noticing that the Jetta was no where in sight.

"If you don't mind the twins took the car to go to Thomas' house." Nicole said walking around to the other side of the car.

"Do they know that I know?" Amanda asked as she sat down in he driver's seat next to Nicole who was buckling up.

"Yeah I got the pleasure of explaining it to them when they came back from Grandpa Valenti's. They're like my father… outsiders are a threat to them." Nicole said watching Amanda put the car into gear.

"I'm sorry if I caused any problems in your family…" Amanda began to apologize.

"Don't be sorry for anything… it wasn't your fault and my brothers know that. They're just extremely protective of their family just like me and our parents." Nicole said brushing the apology off.

"And like Josh." Amanda said with a smile.

"Something you'll learn very quickly is that it doesn't matter if you're a Guerrin, Valenti, Evans, or Whitman you're a part of a huge whole dysfunctional well oiled machine." Nicole said shaking her head with a small smile.

"Are they all like Josh… you know, protective?" Amanda asked interested.

"Oh man you have no idea. If you're a family member it's really bad. I mean my brothers know everything they can about me. My cousins are practically my brothers so they fall into that category. And it doesn't help a bit that they can feel me." Nicole said thinking about her wonderful, extremely large, family.

"You're not all blood related though, right?" Amanda asked a bit confused.

"That's the wonderful thing about our family… blood means nothing. Come to think of it neither does species." Nicole said laughing out loud.

"You're family too you know?" Nicole asked seriously.

"What do you mean?" Amanda asked stopping at a red light.

"Josh wouldn't just save anyone… You're special to him. He's known he could trust you since the first time he laid eyes on you… That makes you family. You may not feel like we're family but you will eventually. First we'll all be close friends because we share this… this wonderful secret and then we'll all be family. That's how it happened to my parents. Josh's mom told you the basic outline of everything but there are so many stories and so many things I have to tell you… I'm sorry I'm like jumping a head. I'll explain it all tonight over ice-cream and chick chat." Nicole said watching the other cars begin to move.

"Chick chat sounds like fun… what's your favorite flavor of ice cream?" Amanda asked as she took her cell phone out.

"Pistachio with honey and Tabasco, you?" Nicole asked.

"Vanilla… I'm so bland." Amanda said dialing her home number.

"Hello… Is my mom… Thank you… Hey! Oh really? OK… can I stay at Nicole's house tonight? Yes… Of course… OK thanks OK. All right I love you too. Bye." Amanda said finally hanging up the phone.

"Can we stop and get some stuff from my house?" Amanda asked as she turned her blinker on.

"Sure." Nicole said distractedly.

"What's on your mind?" Amanda asked as she looked out the window at the traffic around them

"Randy." Nicole said before she realized what she was saying.

"Let's try this again, what's on your mind?" Amanda asked as she pulled up to her house and turned off the ignition.

"I'll tell you later. Let's go get your stuff." Nicole said unbuckling and getting out of the car leaving a confused but patient Amanda in the automobile.

"You can leave your stuff in here." Nicole said as she walked into her room and tossed her book bag on her desk chair.

"Hey Nic can we borrow your… Hello." Mark, Nicole's brother, said shortly as he walked through the door to Nicole's room.

"Hi. I'm Amanda." She said self-consciously tucking a piece of hair behind her ear.

"We know." Matthew said as he walked up behind his brother.

"Can we borrow your CDs?" Mark asked not bothering to acknowledge the girl with dark hair again.

Nicole, not turning around, reached behind her and made the CD case fly across the room into her brother's a waiting arms.

Mark turned and walked around his twin brother, Matthew. Matthew followed his brother's lead and walked down the stairs and out the front door.

"They're just not use to you yet, but they will be." Nicole said apologetically as she went over to her window and watched her brother's jump into the Jetta and take off, probably back to Thomas'.

"Sure… he gave the stare of death." Amanda said.

"He gives me the stare of death at least once a day. Listen you'll be family just like Aunt Liz… just give it time." Nicole said turning back to her guest who was now on her bed Indian style.

"OK… I have to know, Randy?" Amanda asked looking over at the blonde girl who sat in front of her.

"Well that's chick chat so we need ice cream!" Nicole exclaimed and walked over to the door and into the hallway.

"MOM!" Nicole yelled after searching the refrigerator.

"In here!" Maria yelled back to her daughter from the master bedroom.

"Hey mom. You know I love you right?" Nicole asked lying down on the bed next to her mom.

"What do you want?" Maria asked covering the mouthpiece of the portable.

"We love you." Nicole said getting up and dragging the shy girl from the door entrance to the bed, "Don't we?"

"Oh yeah! We love you to death." Amanda said smiling.

"Go get my purse… it's on my dresser." Maria said smiling at both of them.

"We're going to get ice cream so we can have a chick chat." Nicole said bring the purse back to her mother.

"A Chick Chat? Wow." Maria said nodding, "Michael what do you want from the store… Don't Maria me… fine… OK… I always do space boy. I love you too. I will… You are? Cool… Bye… Yes! No no no no no no you can't make me…Fine! Bye. Love you too… yes… bye… see you soon… he didn't! Bye." Maria said but this time she actually hung up the phone.

"My parents are so strange." Nicole muttered under hear breath.

"I might not have any super sensitive hyper sense alien dooamahickys but I heard that." Maria said digging through her purse.

"I didn't hear you denying it." Nicole said with a small smile as her mom handed her a twenty.

"Well that would just be no fun. Your dad said that he doesn't want anything, but I was thinking that you could buy some vanilla triple fudge double syrup swirl for your aunt Lizzy. You know because she pregnant and you know she loves the sweets she's just frightened of putting on too much weight." Maria said shaking her head.

"Dad always wants something." Nicole said.

"He had one of his boys run out to get him something so he didn't need us to… Oh don't forget the extra Tabasco for your aunt." Maria called out as Nicole and Amanda exited the room.

"I won't, love you mom!" Nicole said before slamming the door.

"So where are we going?" Amanda asked as she got into the driver's side of her own vehicle.

"Wal-Mart." Nicole said as she buckled up.

"Do we need a cart or one of those baskets?" Amanda asked.

"Basket." Nicole said as she picked one up and started towards the ice cream section, Amanda close behind.

"Hello, Randy here." Randy answered the ringing cell phone.

"Pistachio and Tabasco? Yes sir. OK, Bye." Randy said finally as he walked towards the ice cream section in the local Wal-mart.

"I'll go get the Tabasco so we can save some time." Amanda said as she began to walk off.

"Get two." Nicole said as she sat the basket down on the ground.

As she stood up she lost her balance and fell backward straight into the arms of the guy standing behind her… Randy Jackson.

"You OK?" Randy asked as he helped her right herself.

"Yeah fine." Nicole said pulling back quickly she hadn't even looked Randy in the eye since the Eraser Room accident she didn't know if she could take another minute of his hands on her.

"You do tend to fall a lot don't you?" Randy asked a smile playing at his lips.

"What?" Nicole asked confused.

"Last week…" Randy began but stopped when Nicole's face flushed at recognition.

With those two simple words a wave of embarrassment had crashed into her. She had remembered vaguely the feeling of falling when they had been in the Eraser Room, and as it happened she did fall. Her knees locked and she fell on him making them both crash into the floor… not that that had stopped them…

"I take it you didn't entirely forget that experience." Randy said with poorly covered hurt.

She hadn't forgotten God knows she tried to but something that felt like that… she couldn't forget. She had done the next best thing… She had avoided him at all costs.

"Well I take it neither did you." She said in response.

"What would make you think that I did? I wasn't the one ignoring you all week." Randy said stressing 'I' and 'You.'

"No you're the one that didn't call." Nicole mumbled suddenly finding interest in her shoes.

"Yeah well you're the one that ran off as soon as the last bell rang." Randy said harshly remembering the pain he had been submitted to as he watched her run out the Eraser room door and into the mass of people outside.

Nicole looked up and took on an expression that would have made you think he had struck her.

"I'm sorry." He said he couldn't stand her to be hurt but she had hurt him. He didn't think she'd leave after what happened… didn't she feel it too? He didn't think she'd be that ashamed of him…

"I ran off because if I didn't I would have been left at the school without a ride home." She tried to explain.

"I would have given you a ride." Randy said stubbornly.

"After football practice." Nicole said as she picked up the basket and turned to finish her shopping.

"What is your problem?" Randy asked stopping her with a hand on her arm.

"You're a jock, I'm a freak… do the math… Or can jocks do that?" She asked as she tried to walk off.

He quickly grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the restroom/ pay phone area that was secluded somewhere past their isle.

"Jocks this and freaks that huh? What ever happened to being just Nicole and Randy? No titles, no subsections just humans?" He asked and suddenly she flinched as if the words had physically hurt her.

They had physically hurt her. She felt… sick. She now realized how things were supposed to be she was going to end up alone all because of what she was… She couldn't tell him and she couldn't get close to him… what if he got hurt? What if he told someone? What if he was disgusted by what she was… 'No subsections… no titles… just humans,' the words he had spoken moments before resounded in her mind '…just humans,' she wasn't human and she couldn't pretend…

"What if I was something else entirely? What if I wasn't human?" Nicole asked automatically wishing she could take the question back.

"What? You feeling OK?" He asked worriedly.

"I don't get sick." She let the sentence hang as she thought of the things she did that were different from humans… she wasn't the same and she could never be no matter what.

She wrapped her arms around his strong neck and held on tight for a minute reveling in the feel of his arms. She had never felt such peace in her entire existence. She was aware of every part of his body that was touching hers… She could feel how tight he was holding her… It was as if he never wanted to let her go and in truth she never wanted to be let go… What you get and what you want are two different things.

She slowly slid from his arms and looked up into his eyes as her feet evened on the ground. She reached up and gently brought his forehead to her lips… She took her basket and walked over to the ice cream section without another word.

She meet Amanda when she arrived there she still kept her lips closed very tightly. She went about her task mechanically. She took the bottles from Amanda and went to the checkout counter. She looked from the clerk to Amanda and back again… they were both gazing at her strangely.

"Is she going to be OK?" The clerk asked Amanda.

"Yeah… she'll be fine." Amanda answered as Nicole handed the lady the money.

Amanda had grabbed the bags and the change before Nicole could even think to grab for them. By the time she reached the car Amanda was opening Nicole's door for her, Amanda had already dumped the bags into the back seat.

It was then that Nicole looked into the mirror that was perched on the window visor. She had tears running from her eyes… her steal gray eyes were no longer light and lustrous they looked like the ocean just before a devastating storm… they looked like she felt… suddenly jade eyes passed in front of her eyes… Jade eyes that were wide with shock and horror. Randy was walking out of the store and a car… a grand am was quickly pulling around the curb… too quickly… she shuddered as she heard the car contact with his body... then she was back in the car right beside Amanda who was shaking her.

"Oh God." Nicole said as she pushed Amanda away and ripped the door open and ran across the emptying parking lot.

"Randy!" Nicole screamed as she ran passed the curb and pushed him back into the store.

"Nicole what's wrong?" Randy asked but the last part of his question wasn't heard because there was a screech of tires as a red grand am lost control and ran onto the curb before hitting a phone booth and stopping.

"Stay right here." Randy said wrapping his arms around her before leaving to go check on the people that were possibly in the car.

"Nicole!" Amanda yelled as she ran up to the girl whose eyes were no longer the darkening color but a pale gray.

"I'm ready to go home." Nicole said shivering.

"OK." Amanda said as she wrapped her arm around the girl's shoulders and walked pack towards her awaiting car.

Even though Nicole never saw the dark jade stone eyes following her she felt them… she felt him…

"I'll give Aunt Liz the ice cream." Nicole volunteered as they pulled up into the Evan's driveway.

"I'll come with you." Amanda said getting out of the car.

Once they reached the door Josh threw it open before they could knock. He didn't even glance at Nicole as he wrapped his girlfriend in a warm embrace before kissing her soundly.

"Hey Nic…. What happened?" He asked suddenly worried.

"Nothing," Nicole answered a little too quickly for Josh's liking, "We have to go, Later."

Nicole walked to the car not letting Amanda say anything. After giving Josh a kiss and hug good bye she reached her car and got in to start it but found it already running.

"Your dad just called he said that you saved Randy's life today." Maria said as she took the ice cream from Nicole.

"Yeah I did." Nicole said only half-alive.

"Randy said that you pushed him inside before a car could hit him. He says he doesn't understand how you knew." Maria said getting out three bowls.

"Is he suspicious?" Nicole asked getting the spoons and Tabasco sauce.

"No. Just shocked and very depressed," Maria said looking at her daughter intently, "You're just the same. What happened?"

"Nothing." Nicole replied taking a spoon and scooping the ice cream into the bowls.

"How'd you know?" Maria asked hopping up onto the counter with a bowl of ice cream her daughter had handed her.

"Vision." Nicole answered passing the scoop to Amanda so she could fix her own.

"What?" Maria asked dropping the spoon back into the bowl.

"I got a vision." Nicole said a little louder.

"What aren't you telling me Laurie Nicole Guerrin?" Maria demanded.

"I had another fight with him and when we got into the car I got a vision." Nicole said cringing at the use of her full name, which she had partly inherited from one of her aunts.

"You're not telling me everything. You can't just have visions from him. It has to be linked to you some how… you're connected to him aren't you?" Maria finally concluded.

"It all started last week. We were working in the library then we stopped working and started fighting… one thing lead to another and next thing I knew we were in the Eraser Room." Nicole explained.

"Eraser room…" Maria began to let she indulge in those… pleasant memories but quickly caught herself, "Do you really like this boy?"

"Does that really matter… He's a jock - I'm a freak… He's a human - I'm an alien." Nicole said as if that explained everything.

"You're dad's an alien and I'm a human. Michael's a loner… a rebel without a clue… I'm a hippie's daughter… I'm a…" She began but as cut off by Amanda.

"A pixie! You remind me of a pixie." Amanda said instantly felling lame.

"Your Uncle Alex is a musician a very unorganized musician and your Aunt Isabel is a neat freak lawyer. Your Grandma Amy is a hippie and your grandpa Jim was a sheriff!" Maria said.

"Uncle Max and Aunt Liz are exactly the same… Josh and Amanda are just like them! It would never work! I told him I was a freak and he was a jock and he said we're both just human… we're not just human! I even asked what he would think if I wasn't human and he asked if I was feeling OK and you know what I said… I don't get sick! I don't get sick! I'm not human he deserves human." Nicole said before shoving a large scoop of ice cream into her mouth and pouting.

"You're saying he deserves someone who gets sick. Honey… you had a vision… he gave you a vision when you were thinking about him… Did you get a vision when you were kissing him?" Maria asked.

"Yeah. We were some where, the back ground was blurry, and he was saying something that didn't make much sense and I told him I was an alien and then the bell rung and I pulled away and ran off." Nicole said thinking back on the best and worst day of her life, so far.

"You ran off… bet that did wonders for the boy's ego." Maria said looking over at Amanda, "What do you think she should do?"

"I think she should give him a try. They've been picking on each other for the past eleven years. They should just try it if it doesn't work out then at least you know. It's the never knowing you'll regret." Amanda said.

"I told him the twins would have left me. What if it works out really well and I do tell him and he can't handle it and he cracks and tells someone and they come after us again?" Nicole asked still grasping to her point.

"Don't worry I don't think you'll live long enough. Your dad's home and he's pissed." Maria said jumping down off the counter.

Michael slammed the door behind him; "I'm home!"

He walked quickly into the kitchen, "Hi Amanda. Nicole did you have fun?"

"Hi honey." Maria said walking over and putting her arms around his waist trying to calm him down.

"What did you expect me to let him die?" Nicole asked.

"I'm not talking about saving his life I'm talking about making out in the middle of school and skipping 6th and 7th hour." Michael said his anger evident only in his eyes… his face was expressionless.

'Well two can do that!' Nicole thought as she let her face become placid and her eyes took on a violent gray.

"Yeah I did have a lot of fun." She said in a calm tone like him.

"Good because you're so grounded for the rest of your life." Michael said looking over at Amanda, "Starting Monday."

"You spent over half your high school career in that very room." Nicole said in the same voice keeping her tone in check.

"That's true we did." Maria said looking up at her husband trying to get him to be more sympathetic.

"Are you OK?" Michael asked his daughter.

"Yeah, why?" She asked a bit confused.

"Randy wanted me to make sure." Michael said his teeth grinding together.

"Is it me and him together you don't like or is it the fact that I made out with a boy?" Nicole asked.

"I don't want to fight with you." He said firmly.

"You're not grounded." Maria said pulling her husband towards the bedroom, "Can we have a talk?"

Amanda cringed as she heard Nicole's parent's bedroom door slam shut. Then there was yelling and lots of it.

"I hate when my parents fight." Amanda said.

"Yelling is like fore play with my parents. When the yelling stops that's when you worry." Nicole said and as if on cue the entire house went silent.

Nicole walked over to her parents' room and felt nauseous as she inched the door open and found her parents making out on the bed.

"You either worry or you throw up." She mumbled to Amanda as they left to get their food and head up stairs. As soon as Nicole's foot hit the first stair the phone in her room went off.

She quickly took two stairs at a time anticipating who was on the other end. She quickly set the ice cream down on the vanity as she dove for the still ringing phone.

"Is it on its way?" Nicole asked into the phone with a smile.

"Get your butts down here!" Josh hollered as he paced the living room. He hung up the phone and watched as Tess ran into the house and whizzed past him. His Uncle Kyle and Eddie on the other hand were walking at a slower pace and came to a stop beside the young Evans.

"How is she?" Kyle asked.

"Now that the nurse is here we can get started," Max said smiling at Tess as she walked into the bed room still in her scrubs, " Mrs. Evans, are you OK?" Max asked.

"Yeah… for now." Liz said as she bit her lip due to the pain.

Max placed his hand on the source of her pain, "Better?" He asked smiling at his radiant wife.

She smiled in return.

"MOM!" Nicole yelled as she ran down stairs Amanda in toe.

"What?" Maria asked rushing out of her bedroom with Michael.

"Liz… baby!" Nicole said grabbing the keys and chunking them at her father's waiting hands.

"Now?" Maria asked forgetting her shoes and running out of the house and into the explorer.

"Now!" Nicole said as she followed her mom.

Michael and Amanda, on the other hand, quickly put their shoes on then joined the other two hostile Guerins in the car.

"Hello, you've reached the law office of Whitman incorporated to what jurisdiction or to whom may I direct your call?" Asked Isabel's secretary.

"Isabel please." Alex said into his car phone.

"She's in a meeting." Said the secretary.

"It's important." Alex said getting a bit impatient

"I can understand that sir but I'm afraid…" The secretary began but was quickly cut off.

"Meeting or no meeting put my wife on." Alex said annoyed and upset.

"On moment." Said the secretary as she forwarded his call into the main conference room.

"Mrs. Whitman?" The secretary called over the phone as Isabel picked it up and set it on speaker.

"Your husband's on the line." She said.

"I'm in a meeting…" Isabel began smiling apologetically at her clients.

"Try telling him that." The secretary said as she put him through without orders.

"Honey?" Alex asked hearing a click.

"This better be worth it." Isabel said thinking of how many ways she could punish him if he screwed up this case for her.

"Is the new addition to the family worth it?" Alex asked with a smile on his face.

"Oh my god! I'm on my way!" Isabel screamed as she turned the phone off and rushed out the door only to turn around and run back to the door.

She quickly collected herself and walked calmly back inside, "My apologizes my brother's wife is having a child. Please reschedule this meeting with my secretary." Isabel said then without a response walked back out the door.

Once she hit mid hall she broke out into a run which most businesswomen couldn't do in pumps…

"How is she?" Maria called as he ran into the hallway almost tripping over the three pairs of legs that were lying across her path.

"Fine." Josh said not standing up.

Michael soon took his place with the rest of the guys. Soon Alex, Thomas, Matthew, and Mark sat down too.

Amanda and Nicole sat at on the counter waiting for even a pen drop of a sound the whole house was quite until…

"AHHHHHHHHH…"

"I feel you! I spit out three of those suckers already I don't think I can take another one." Maria said as she took her place near the other girls.

"It's a girl!" Josh called out as he ran towards a rather large group of people in the kitchen.

Maria hugged him with a great force after jumping off the counter and before running towards the bedroom.

Nicole and Isabel did the same thing. The guys on the other hand stood up from the hallway and shook his hand they too walked towards the bedroom.

When they arrived they found Tess and Liz crying in joy. Isabel and Maria soon joined in. Amanda stood at the back of the room watching the family swarm together '… I'm not one of them… I shouldn't be here.' The thoughts repeated over and over in her head, as she stood stiff.

Josh wrenched himself away from the family's warmth and walked towards his girlfriend who was staring blankly at the floor.

"Come on I know you want to see her. Whether you're a human or an alien, chicks love babies." He said with a grin as he grabbed her hand and drug her into the crowd next to the bed.

"She's beautiful." Amanda said as she peered down into the bundle of joy in Liz's arms.

"Would you like to start the passing?' Liz asked the bright-eyed girl her son had fallen in love with.

Josh, knowing that Amanda didn't understand the question completely, lifted his baby sister from his mother's arms and placed her into Amanda's.

Amanda's eyes found the child's and she couldn't believe that such a young creature could have such soulful eyes just like her father... and her wonderful brother, Josh, his eyes… were magnificent just as this child's were. She gently passed her to her older brother then him to Nicole, then Maria and so on. That was the passing… a family tradition since the first true hybrid had been born.

Once Nicole had returned to her house it was nearly morning. There had been cake and ice cream and family sharing and she felt as though she was just shared out. Her head hit the pillow and her eyes went to her phone… She had gotten her own answering machine and phone line a long time ago… the light was blinking quite rapidly.

She struggled to get up and crawl over to the play button. Amanda beat her to it.

"Thanks." Nicole said with a smile of gratitude as the messages started to play…

"Nicole this is Randy Jackson please give me a call when you get in my number is 493-8144, Thanks."… "Nicole me again, Randy please call me soon, 493-8144."… "Nicole I'm calling every hour on the hour, my number is 493-8144." … "It's eleven o'clock and I know your dad so this is the last time I'm going to call you, but please call me as soon as you get my messages… You can call me at any time, 493-8144… later."

As the message began to rewind the evenings events flashed back into Nicole's mind… the meeting… the car… her new baby cousin, Alixandra Serena Evans, the loving look on her Uncles' faces, her Aunts' faces… the tears in her Uncle Max's eyes… The tear's in her Aunt Liz's… their love… their love had created a beautiful creature… a beautiful person whether it was an alien hybrid or not it was still a magnificent being…

Amanda pressed the stop button on the answering machine before it could replay. She walked over to the bed and sat down on the corner by Nicole's head, "He's got it bad… and so do you. Listen Nicole if you like him go for it… I'm human and Josh… well Josh is a little green around the gills if you know what I mean. He told me that you, Eddie, and Thomas are the ones that gave him the courage to ask me out and I owe my happiness to you...almost all of it… I give him sole credit on the kissing." Amanda said trying to get a rise out of the quiet girl beside her.

It worked; Nicole whirled around and hit Amanda in the head with a pillow. They were soon tumbling around crashing into things causing a great disturbance.

Mark and Matthew exited their joint room and walked down the hall into their sister's room.

"Hey knock it off." Mark barked over the girls' laughter.

Amanda stopped and looked over at the two younger boys… Nicole on the other hand lunged for them with the pillows… Amanda laughed and soon took suit.

Matthew grabbed Amanda and tossed her on the bed tickling her, "AHHH… THIS IS NOT FAIR… CHEATER!" Amanda cried as Mark used his powers to hold her down as he unmercifully attacked her ribs.

"Two can play that game!" Nicole said as she jumped on her brother's back causing him to fall on top the bed next to Amanda.

"Where's he ticklish?" Amanda asked trying out different spots.

"Get the knees!" Nicole cried as Mark came over to assist his twin.

"Now that we have our ice cream and we have our breath we can have our official chick chat." Nicole said as she plopped down on her bed next to her red-faced guest.

After a long tickle battle with Mark and Matthew the two had finally won, or in other words they surrendered. They had went down stairs and got their comfort foods.

"OK if you say so… can I ask you a question though?" Amanda asked as she situated herself to face Nicole.

"Shoot." Nicole said as she too found a more comfortable place on her bed.

"Do you really like Randy?" Amanda asked taking a bite of ice cream.

"Yeah, my turn do you really love Josh?" Nicole asked shoving a spoon full of ice cream into her mouth.

"Oh yeah." Amanda said getting a dazed look on her face.

"What should I do?" Nicole asked leaning her head back against the wall behind her bed.

"What do you want to do? What are you so scared of?" Amanda asked looking her in the eyes.

"I'm not scared," Nicole said firmly.

"Lie to someone who'll believe you." Amanda said with a trusting smile.

"If he finds out and freaks what am I supposed to do? What if being who I am hurts him…" Nicole began her many questions and probably wouldn't have stopped if Amanda had not interrupted her.

"What if he gets hit by a bus tomorrow? I mean come on he almost got hit by a car today. What if a bus hits you? What if you die when you're really old but instead of having a joyful life of kids and a loving husband flash before your eyes all you see is your cats!" Amanda said almost as quickly as Nicole had asked her tyrant of questions.

"I'm not going to be some old biddy with cats!" Nicole said to Amanda, "I don't like cats."

"Fine you'll just be a lonely old biddy! Call him! Call him! I dare you to call him!" Amanda said knowing that since Nicole was young she couldn't resist a dare.

"It's late though!" Nicole said looking over at the clock that now read 3:13 A.M.

"He said any time… if he didn't want you calling at this time maybe he shouldn't have said it it's totally his fault!" Amanda said as she went over and picked up the portable phone.

"Aren't you pushy?" Nicole asked as she took the phone from her hand.

"Do you need me to play the message for the number?" Amanda asked still standing.

"493-8144." Nicole let out a deep breath as she felt her pulse quicken along with her heartbeat.

"Would you mind?" Nicole asked Amanda as she inched her way to her bathroom.

"No." Amanda said. "I'm gonna raid your room."

Nicole shook her head before closing the door behind her.

"Hello?" A voice called from the other line… a tired voice.

"Hi, is Randy there?" Nicole asked nervously.

"Nicole?" The voice asked a little more awake.

"Yeah…" Nicole answered her breathing becoming a little quicker.

"You know what time it is?" Randy asked looking over at his bed clock.

"Yeah I'm sorry you said call at anytime and Amanda said…" Nicole was about to go into rambling mode and she knew she couldn't do anything to stop it.

"I meant it too. You OK? Where are you? Is Amanda over there? Where you been?" He began cutting her off.

"I'm fine, I'm at home, Amanda's here, we've been at Josh's. My aunt just had a baby." Nicole said sitting on the sink counter.

"Congratulations. You're probably wiped, you didn't have to call but I'm glad you did." He finished softly.

"Yeah well I'm anything but wiped I'm hyper if anything…" She began but was again cut off.

"Hyper? Oh Lord help us all. I remember your sugar high days. I also remember the teacher taking away snack privileges from us too." He said with a bit of a laugh.

"That's only cause I kept disrupting classes, and he only took snacks from you because you kept giving them to me under our desks." Nicole said getting up and sinking to the floor.

"Man, we were demon children." Randy laughed into the phone.

"Yeah we were." Nicole said a bit nostalgic for the olden days when they were closer.

"What's your cousin's name?" Randy asked after a pause of awkward silence.

"Alixandra Serena Evans." Nicole said happy to change the subject, "What's up? Why'd you call earlier?"

"I wanted to make sure you were OK…" Randy trailed off while slumping into his mattress.

"I'm fine… you?" Nicole asked genuinely concerned.

"Oh yeah, I'm fine. Nicole? How did you know?" Randy asked turning off his bedside light and looking out his window beside his bed.

"Does it matter? You're alive aren't you?" She asked.

"My body's functioning if that's what you mean." He said a bitter tone in his voice.

"Listen I know you're probably freaked… but don't be all right? You're alive and so am I…" She said trying to forget the knots in her stomach.

"Listen I know that you don't like the fact that I'm a jock but can't we just try to be together?" Randy asked.

"That's a very subtle change of topic." Nicole said sarcastically.

"Nothing is ever subtle with you Guerrin." Randy said seriously.

"Listen Jackson, it wouldn't work. You're much better suited for one of those blonde cheerleaders you usually court!" Nicole said with a note of bitterness.

"Please the only blond I'm interested in courting is you and you know it and it scares you!" He retorted quickly.

"Yeah sure buddy. You'd court me till you realize what it would be doing to your image. Please… the high school hottie dating the high school freak. You're a jock, an honor student, you're one of the most popular people in school… you don't want to risk all of that just for me." Nicole said her voice steady.

"How do you know what I want to risk? For all you know I might actually think that you're worth the risk because you know what Nic… you are! You've always been worth the risk…" Randy said his anger getting the better of him.

The words hung heavily in the air. Nicole didn't know what to do… if she listened to her heart she might get hurt but… if she listened to her head she doubted she'd ever stop hurting…

"Meet me tomorrow when the art center opens… I'll be in the painting room." Nicole said shortly before hanging up.

Nicole sat in her work clothes, which consisted of an old baby tee shirt and overalls, awaiting the arrival of none other than Randy Jackson.

She sat in front of a blank canvas. There were paints and charcoal pencils all around her and draw she could not. Her heart was pounding too hard, her stomach too tied in knots, and her hands to sweaty because she was nervous… She was beyond nervous. She had to calm down… so she did… she sang…

"You've got the golden touch, You're almost too much…"

Randy stood at the work room door paralyzed. An angel's voice reached out and called to him. He watched through the door window as Nicole swayed back and forth gently on her seat singing 'Golden Touch.' He pushed the swinging door gently taking his time as he walked towards her, careful so not to alert his own angel to his mortal presence.

He stood and watched her gold curls sway with her frame. Her hair smelled like ripe apples and was slightly frizzy, due to an earlier morning shower no doubt. Her voice was steady and heavenly and her shirt rode up slightly right before it was to meet her baggy overall button up sides. There was a small alluring patch a creamy skin exposed on the side. His hands ached to run his palms over it once again.

She kept singing even though she could feel his presence closing in on her. She could feel his eyes trailing a path… She could feel his longing… she could feel him reaching out towards her physically.

"Took you long enough." She said aloud before his hand could grab a vibrant curl.

"Car wouldn't start." He offered lamely as he quickly retracted his hand as she spun to face him.

She examined him carefully. He wore his work jeans and an old shirt that showed off his gorgeous arms. His hair was perfectly combed and stiff looking, but she knew, from experience, that looks could be deceiving, fore, his hair would be silken and soft to the touch. He had barely visible bags under his eyes confirming her suspicions; he too had not gotten much sleep after their conversation. He looked like the average dumb jock all right… but his eyes gave way to the true depths of his soul. His eyes were dark and nervous and troubled… and beautiful.

"Bummer." She said after a few moments.

"Yeah... So, why are we here?" He asked the question she was dreading.

"Because we need to talk." She said trying to figure out how she was going to word what she wanted to say.

"Oh great, that speech huh?" Randy asked unexcitedly as he sat down on a table that was located half way across the room.

"It's not what you think." She said standing up and walking over to the table; standing three feet in front of him.

"Oh really? Just tell me up front, is this good news or bad news?" He asked trying to prepare himself.

"Bad news." Nicole said swallowing a lump in her throat… she knew she should have practiced in front of the mirror… but then again she was pretty sure that no amount of practicing could prepare her to tell Randy that she thought she was in love with him… now could it?

"Give it to me straight Doc." Randy said jokingly, or what was supposed to come out jokingly instead it came out flat and disappointed.

"The bad news is your social 'value' is going to decrease greatly…" She said looking him in the eyes and taking a couple of steps so that she was directly in front of him.

"Why is it going to decrease?" He asked his pulse quickening.

"Because dating the school outcast tends to have that kind of effect on your popularity." She said her gaze not faltering.

"It's worth it then… if that's the reason." He said reaching his hands out towards her waist and pulling her forward gently. So she stood between his legs, her arms around him, and her eyes peering into his.

"Well your not dating her yet… you know you do have to still kind of ask…" She said trailing off her gaze finding his stomach instead of his bright jade eyes.

"Would you, school outcast also known as the hostile but wonderful Nicole Guerrin, like to be my steady girlfriend?" He asked letting one hand unwrap from her small frame and lift her angelic face so that her eyes met his own.

"You know this is social suicide right?" She asked once again giving him a chance to back out.

"Your worth it Nicole. You're worth all the letterman's jackets and high school parties in this life time and the next." Randy said his head sinking lower so that his forehead rested against her own gently.

"Then yes... I just hope you won't regret it…" She said her face inching towards his.

"Will you?" He asked stopping right before their lips met.

She let his warm breath wash over her before answering, "Not in a million years."

Nicole took a deep breathe as she shrugged on Randy's letterman jacket and exited her car walking towards West Roswell High's entrance doors.

Once she walked through the door everyone stopped and turned to look at her. Even though she had her eyes trained on her destination she could feel people look at her in disbelief.

She walked at a normal pace to her locker and crammed her books into it quickly.

"Good morning!" Amanda called form the other side of Nicole's locker startling the tense girl.

"Thanks I needed that heart attack." Nicole said not even bothering to look at her.

"The jacket looks good on you." Amanda said noticing Randy coming towards them.

"Yeah well it's a jock jacket. I wouldn't be wearing it if it didn't belong to one of the greatest guys on earth." Nicole said shutting her locker and letting a bright smile take over her facial features.

"Trying to boost my ego I see." Randy said as his arms encircled her.

"Morning honey." Nicole said leaning into the embrace and closing her eyes as though to savor the feel of his arms… the safety and security of his grip.

"Morning Baby, you seemed to get through the front door in one piece." He said titling his head to rest against his girlfriends.

"Yeah, but I doubt me and you will make it out of school that way." She said as she opened her eyes to see her three cousins and two brothers on the way over to their current position.

"Did hell freeze over?" Eddie asked his companions as they quickly approached the couple.

"Morning." Josh said walking over to his girl friend and planting a kiss on her temple before starring at the odd couple that stood in front of them.

"Explain." Mark and Matthew demanded in unison.

"Matthew, Mark you know Randy. Randy you know my subhuman little brothers right?" Nicole asked glaring at the two twins who were glaring at her boyfriend.

"Morning." Randy said awkwardly as his arms tightened protectively around his girlfriend.

Matthew and Mark grumbled as they walked off quickly.

Thomas and Eddie just stood and starred at them bewildered.

"Morning boys." Nicole smiled… a real smile. Not a sarcastic smile, not a forced smile… a radiant smile of pure happiness.

"Nice fit." Eddie said gesturing to the jacket. He smiled at Randy. His smile was nothing like Nicole's. His eyes didn't sparkle… they were instead hard and cool. He might be a fellow team mate and he might be a nice guy but that was his cousin… she was practically his little sister and if he hurt her…

"Isn't it though?" Randy asked Nicole's smile reflected on his handsome face and in the depths of his bright eyes.

"Yeah." Thomas said smiling. She was happy and that was all that mattered… until he hurt her… But Thomas hoped, for Randy's sake, that he did no such thing.

The bell over head rang loudly. Eddie, Thomas, Josh and Amanda soon broke way from the new couple finding their way to homeroom… the couple on the other hand found their way in the opposite direction.

"Where are you taking me?" Randy asked with a smile already knowing where their destination was.

"Come on… a girl's gotta have some fun." Nicole said a mischievous smile on her face as she neared the Eraser Room door.

Randy laughed at his girlfriend as he opened the door eagerly.

The End


	9. Weightroom Adventures 9

Title: Weight Room Adventures (#9)

Author: Vix

Email: PG

Category: Future Children Julie/Edward

Disclaimers: I own the children completely

Julie's jaw dropped as she walked into the weight room. It was deserted except for one lone football player. One lone, hot football player who was facing the opposing wall working out… with out a shirt.

She watched as he lifted the weights in a rhythmic pattern to the music that was flowing from a near by stereo… Was that Faith Hill? She let her eyes travel over the moving back muscles as sweat glistened off of the smooth skin.

"What do you want Julie?" Eddie asked not turning around.

"How did you know I was in here Edward?" She asked her cheeks a blaze.

"You didn't answer my question." He said putting the heavy weights down and walking over the stereo turning it off still not even glancing in her direction.

"Just came in to work out." She said laying her towel and water bottle on a near by sit-up bench.

"Hope you don't mind the company." She said walking over to the military press station.

Eddie turned to look at her and his jaw dropped. She had on a spandex top and short bicycle shorts, "Not at all." He said calmly walking out of the weight room and into the hall. He walked over to the water fountain and took a huge gulp and washing his face of. He walked back inside grabbing his shirt to wipe off his wet and blushing face.

"You're lifting too much." He said glancing from her strong arms to the weights.

"I'm fine." She said sharply throwing a glare in his direction… Lord he looked good and… edible.

Julie's concentration slipped to a different subject and the bars slipped from her hands.

"I told you. You don't need to strain your muscles so much." He said walking over and changing the amount on the weight holder.

"I'm not. Their my muscles and I'll exercise them as I see fit." She said getting off the bench and readjusting the weight pin.

"Yeah well I'm just trying to help you out. Chill!" Eddie commanded as he fixed it back to the position he had originally placed it.

"Does it look like I need your help?" She asked inserting her body in front of his so that he could no longer reach the weight pin. She quickly put the weight back on the one she was previously working on.

"Do you want the truth?" He asked with a mocking smile.

"You want to get slapped?" Julie asked sweetly while spinning around face to face with him.

What she didn't realize was that they were a lot closer than she had thought because the momentum of her spin and the lack of space between them made her fall into him.

"So you don't need my help, Huh?" He asked after he had caught his balance with her leaning against his chest.

"You egotistical no good PIG!" Julie screamed trying to get out of his arms half heartily.

"You know you're right where you want to be." Eddie said huskily into her ear.

Instead of answering she quickly stood up and began to walk towards the bench. Sipping on some water she threw her towel over her shoulder.

"Getting too hot for you?" Eddie asked smugly.

"Actually I'm a little chilly Edward." Julie lied as she walked out the door and to the parking lot.

"Sure you are Jewels." Eddie said to himself heading towards the shower- a simple smile at his face.

The End


	10. Unnecessary Assignment 10

-1Title: Unnecessary Assignment (#10)

Author: Vix

Email: Unnecessary story. Felt like writing it. Story just popped into my head and wouldn't go away.

Disclaimers: I own the children. But technically their parents own them. Any traits inherited from the original eight belong to the writers of Roswell.

Distribution: Ask and thou shall receive.

Authors note: Sorry this sucks so much!

"For your assignment on our family unit chapter I want you to pair up with a member of the opposite sex and read the last of the first chapter of your textbook. There is an activity on the review page. I expect that to be finished and turned in when you give your oral synopsis of your lifestyle and so forth. You can have the entire hour to partner up and work on this. Other than that I expect this to be finished over the weekend." Mrs. Donavon said writing the page numbers on the dry erase board before walking to the back of the room to sit at her desk.

Josh made a mad dash across the room for the empty seat next to Amanda.

Eddie shook his head at them as a guy walking through the narrow isle accidentally pushed a girl into his lap.

"Hey watch where you going." Julie called out to the boy who didn't even apologize.

"More idiot east jocks?" Eddie asked not moving.

"Why do you think it's just the east jocks that are idiots. From as far as I have seen you're not setting a much better example for your fellow team mates, Edward." She said with a sarcastic smile.

"This is jut an assignment Ms. Bradfield. I didn't mean for you two get so into it." Mrs. Donavon called to the two teenagers who had yet to untangle themselves.

Julie quickly hoped off of Eddie's lap and sat in the seat next to him with bright red cheeks.

Nicole looked up from the poem she was writing to see Walter Franklin casually making his way to her desk, but considering the huge klutz he was it was not as casually as one would like. He flipped over an entire desk with his huge feet.

Kelly Finch intercepted quickly though.

Nicole let out a loud sigh of breath as Walter and Kelly quickly found two empty seats and started to finish the chapter.

"Who doesn't have a partner?" Mrs. Donavon called out as she looked up from her grade book.

Nicole, Thomas, and Jenny Selle raised their hands.

"Thomas and Jenny will be together and I'm afraid Miss Guerin will be our lone ranger for the assignment." The teacher said with a small smile.

"I wouldn't be the lone ranger if Randy could manage to make it to seventh hour on time." Nicole muttered to herself.

As if on cue none other than Randy Jackson walked through the door out of breath.

"Mrs. Donavon, I'm so sorry. Coach wanted me to…" Randy began but was soon cut off.

"Don't worry about it Mr. Jackson. You're partner is Ms. Guerin she'll be happy to fill you in on the assignment." Mrs. Donavon said with a bright smile.

Randy smiled and walked to the nearest empty seat near Nicole.

"I hate how jocks get special privileges." Nicole grumbled as Randy pulled the seat up next to hers.

"We deserve those special privileges." Randy said scooting over closer to his girl friend.

"And why is that?" Nicole asked moving her chair.

"Because we're sweet and kind and smart and generous and hot and godly and built and great kissers and…" Randy began with a dazzling grin.

"Conceited." Nicole finished for him.

"Well yeah, that too." He said grabbing a pencil out from behind Nicole's ear.

"What are you doing?" She asked as he tore a sheet of paper out from her binder and began to write.

"Why does it matter?" He asked not looking up from the paper.

"Because that's my paper and my pencil." She said trying to look over his shoulder.

"Correction my pencil." He said as he handed her the sparkle alien pencil.

"Well if you want to get technical…" She said grabbing it and putting it back into its place.

"So what's our assignment?" He asked putting his feet in the rack of the desk in front of him.

"Read." She commanded as she pointed to the paper in front of him.

"Just tell me." Randy pleaded his jade eyes trying to catch a glimpse of her gray ones.

She sighed heavily as if making a huge sacrifice, "It basically says we have to write about our future family. We have to make a believable financial report, we have to tell of an outing our entire family attended, and we have to share our personal thoughts about being married, and having a family."

"Oh bite me." Randy mumbled under his breath thinking of all the work he already had on his plate.

"Don't tempt me." Nicole said as she started to write things down.

Randy smiled as he leaned in towards her so that they were resting against one another.

"Does it say how many kids we have?" Randy asked.

"No, just that we have to have at least one." Nicole said rereading the directions.

"OK, so how many do you want?" Randy asked glancing at her paper, "Six?" Randy asked his eyes bulging.

"Is there a problem with six?" Nicole asked defensively.

"I don't think we can actually support that many." Randy said shaking his head writing a four right under her number.

"Depends on what our jobs are." Nicole said turning to face him.

"Well I'm going to be a pro football player and you're going to work at home to take care of the little munchcines." Randy said with a serious look even though they both knew he was doing it only to get a rise out of her.

"No, you're not going to be a foot ball player. You know how bad they get hurt? And if you dare think I'm staying home…" Nicole began her long lecture as she pointed at Randy with a pencil.

"She looks hostile." Jenny Selle said as she glanced from Nicole to Randy and back again.

"She is." Thomas said as he glanced over to his cousin and her boyfriend then back to his blank paper.

"Looks like the new couple isn't have such a great time in paradise." Jenny said turning back to face her partner.

"That is what they look like when they're having a great time." Thomas said glancing from his paper to her and back down to the paper.

"So what are you going to be?" Thomas asked filling out the questions.

"A super model." Jenny said instantly.

"No, really?" Thomas asked looking up.

Thomas' eyes went wide as Jenny's glared at him.

"Being a super model won't give our family stability. Financially yes it would be great, but emotionally you wouldn't be able to be there for our children." Thomas tried to explain.

"Children? We're having more than one?" Jenny asked condescendingly.

"Yeah, we are." Thomas said not backing down, proudly displaying his mother's backbone.

"You sure about that?" Jenny asked icily.

"Not completely… " Thomas began his father's back bone now showing, or lack there of…

"You know how much it's going to cost to send three kids to camp?" Eddie asked his 'wife'.

"Well we could just cut your season tickets for the Lakers." Julie said sternly.

"I was think we would cut your seasonal tickets actually. I mean come on the Bulls suck." Eddie said glancing over to her.

"I have a pencil… do not tempt me." Julie said holding it up to his face.

"The Lakers aren't that good any way." Eddie said swallowing hard.

Ding Ding

"Class dismissed, have a great weekend." The teacher called out as she watched he students file out of class.

"So you coming over to work on this or what?" Nicole asked as she picked up her books.

"I have practice, remember?" Randy asked wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"I can wait." Nicole said quietly.

"You don't mind?" Randy asked bewildered.

"No." She said smiling up at him.

Might as well get use to this, Nicole thought.

"You going over to Josh's?" Nicole asked Amanda as she came over to say goodbye.

"Yeah. Not quite ready for him to meet the parents." Amanda said.

"It's been over a month you can't hide space boy forever you know?" Nicole said with a smile.

"I wouldn't want to." Amanda said smiling over at Josh where he stood beside Thomas and Eddie.

"Later chica. I have to go watch my boy get the stuffing beat out of him over a ball." Nicole said slinging her book bag over her shoulder.

"Your first practice? You must be excited." Amanda called after her.

"Excited?" Nicole asked whirling around.

"You're sharing something he loves that you hate. It's so sweet. I know he must be excited that his girlfriend cares enough about him to go watch." Amanda said shaking her head.

"Yeah I bet he's stoked about getting the crap smashed out of him in front of his girl." Nicole said with a sarcastic smile, "Later."

"Nic… why haven't you left. The twins are already gone." Thomas said looking at her quizzically as she approached them.

"I'm staying to watch practice." She admitted her eyes daring anyone to even breathe.

"Yeah well I've so got to get a move on. I'm late. You can hang with Julie. She's coming home with me and she has to stay during practice too." Eddie said snapping his book bag securely and walking off quickly

"I have to go call 'Jenny the Great' and tell her where I live." Thomas said mournfully as he hung his head and walked towards the parking lot exit.

"He got stuck with the stuck up?" Josh asked Nicole.

"The one and unfortunately not the only." Nicole said to Josh before he gave her a brief smile and walked off towards his awaiting girlfriend.

Nicole sat on the high school bleachers watching West Roswell High's football team practice.

Julie sat in the corner watching the boys while trying to do her biology homework.

The coach blew the whistle catching the players attention. They all filled into the locker rooms one by one as the coach walked towards the equipment bag to find something.

"Nice practice dude." A player called to Randy as he walked passed him on the way to the showers.

"Yeah, loved your little audience there." Allan Johnson called out taking his pads off and exposing his bare chest.

"Hey be nice man, you don't want to offend the freak lover, now do you?" One of the players asked with a laughing tone.

None of the others said a word. It wasn't very smart to talk about a Guerrin, Whitman, Valenti, or Evans, especially if you were in a locker room with Eddie Valenti.

But Eddie stood in the corner by his locker not moving. His face was placid and his body stone. His eyes were wide and alive and his tightly clenched fists were across his bare chest. If they only knew what he could do to them… that was his blood. Nicole was like a little sister to him… But he wanted to see how Jackson handled this one and if Randy didn't handle it soon he would and it wasn't going to be pretty.

Randy calmly took his pads off and placed them into his locker before turning to face Allan, a guy he truly despised.

"Listen pie boy, why don't you just leave my girlfriend alone?" Randy asked crossing his arms in front of him.

"So freak girl is your girlfriend? I thought I'd seen everything but this… I never thought I'd live to see the day when she'd date a jock." Allan said bitterly.

"You mean date them and not punch their lights out, right?" Randy asked a smirk on his face.

"She probably has a better punch than you Jackson. I wouldn't be surprised she is quite masculine looking." Allan said making everyone look at him in disbelief.

"If you don't shut up we're going to have a little problem." Randy said all trace of his smirk gone. His fist becoming white from the tension in the muscles, "Like last time."

"I'm so very scared. You don't exactly have three other guys on your side now, now do you?" Allan asked stepping towards him.

"I don't need them. Not for you." Randy said his anger clearly displayed.

"Oh come on, don't tell me you're actually willing to fight over my sloppy seconds." Allan asked cockily.

That was all it took. Randy rammed his shoulders into Allan's midsection as hard as he possibly could and Allan hit the lockers behind them, the lock slamming into his back before he fell to the ground. Randy straddled him and continually smashed his fist into Allan's face. He felt a disturbing pleasure as he heard the crack of Allan's nose breaking.

Eddie rushed over to the boys quickly separating them. As much as he loved watching Allan get the crap knocked out of him he didn't feel like reviving him so that his cousin's boyfriend didn't go to prison for first degree murder.

"Let go!" Randy yelled as he felt Eddie pick him up by the waist and dragged him across the small locker room.

"Calm down." Eddie said letting him go.

"You want me to calm down? That guy tried to rape your cousin and he just insulted her in front of the entire team!" Randy hissed at the other boy.

"I just don't want Nicole to get hurt out of all of this. Go to the showers and get ready to leave." Eddie commanded not leaving room for discussion.

Randy reluctantly walked towards the showers, his teammates parting so he could do so.

Eddie turned his vision to the boy who was still lying on the ground. He walked quickly over to the crowd that was around him.

Allan looked up at Eddie his eyes half closed because they were already swelling. Eddie smiled down at the boy. Taking pleasure in his pain.

He quickly departed to the showers hoping to catch Randy.

"Hey Jackson." Eddie called out his voice even.

"What now?" Randy asked turning around.

"Listen, what you did in there," Eddie began referring to the open area of the locker room that was no longer visible to them. "It was stupid."

"Thanks for the support. But frankly I don't care what you think. I care about Nicole and I will not let him or any one else treat her like that." Randy said in a huff.

"It was stupid because if Nicole knew I let you get in a fight she'd kill me." Eddie clarified with a smile before stepping into the showering area himself.

"But if you wouldn't have done it I would have beat the crap out of both of you." Eddie said not turning around.

Randy glanced over to the other boy before stepping into his own stall.

"Next time you give me directions warn me that there are over three house painted the same color as yours, OK?" Jenny snarled at Thomas on his front porch.

"It's called an address." Thomas retorted before opening the door and letting her inside his immaculate house.

"Nice place. Where will we be continuing this lame project at?" Jenny asked her eyes darting around.

"I guess my room." Thomas said as he looked into the kitchen to see his mother working on a case.

"OK." Jenny said as she followed him to his living quarters.

"Just make your self comfortable." Thomas said as he walked towards his computer desk and retrieved a pencil and a clipboard full of blank paper.

Jenny sat stiffly on the edge of the bed.

"So the corps thing is comfortable?" Thomas said as he plopped down beside her.

"I've never even been into a guy's room before so yes. The corps thing is comfortable." She snapped back.

"So, you ready to go?" Randy called up to Nicole who was deeply engrossed in something she was currently writing.

"What? Yeah." Nicole said as she shoved everything into her backpack and made her way down the bleachers.

She peered over her boyfriend's shoulder to see Allan walking out of the locker room. Walking out very slowly. He was limping. And his eyes were swollen, along with the rest of his face.

"What happened in there?" Nicole asked feeling Randy tense beside her when he saw what she saw.

"Come on let's get out of here." Randy said wrapping an arm around her shoulders and urging her to turn around and walk towards his car.

There was complete silence throughout the entire ride over to Nicole's house. Even when they went inside he was quite.

"Come on let's go up to my room to do this." Nicole said as they walked through the door.

"No. You two are going to stay in the kitchen or in the living room. No argument." Mark said as he walked around the corner to confront them.

"Says who?" Nicole asked ready to defy his authority.

"We do." Matthew said coming up behind his brother.

"Come on honey." Randy whispered down into her ear as he led her over to the kitchen table.

"So what happened to Allan?" Nicole asked as her brothers continued to pretend not to listen, but to raid the refrigerator.

"He couldn't keep his mouth shut." Randy said a bit uneasy as he removed his materials from his bag.

"Well it looks swollen shut now. It wasn't like that today at school. He didn't take any big hits during practice so… who did he piss off in the locker room?" Nicole asked.

"Who doesn't Allan piss off?" Randy asked shrugging his shoulders.

"But dude, you were in there the entire time he was. You had to have saw something." Nicole nagged not liking his isolation.

"Let's get down to work and we can talk about this later." Randy said sternly.

"OK." Nicole said apprehensively.

Matthew and Mark looked at each other then back at Randy before going towards the living room to find the portable.

"Will you get off?" Julie asked Eddie with a piercing glaze.

They had only been in the house for thirty minutes and they had already had a fight over where they were going to live. Eddie had started poking her to get her to cave so Julia had grabbed his fingers. And he had gotten them away and grabbed her arms. Then she proceeded to try and pin him to his bed…. Now they lay there. Well, Julie lay there with Eddie sitting on her keeping her firmly in place until she caved.

"Will you cave?" Eddie asked seriously.

"Never." Julie said a fire behind her beautiful eyes.

"You're very cute when you're stubborn." Eddie said his face gently inching close to hers.

"I'm not cute." Julie stated her voice lower as were her eyelids.

"You're…" Eddie's voice trailed off as he brought his head down another two inches. There was now nothing but a mere centimeter separating their lips.

As Julie began to lift her head up to kiss his lips the phone rang. Eddie jerked his head up just as her mouth would have grazed his.

"Hello?" Eddie asked as he jumped up and hit to speakerphone button.

"Eddie?" Matthew's voice asked.

"Yeah Matt?" Eddie asked bring the phone off the base and to his ear, turning off the speakerphone.

"What happened in the locker room today?" Mark asked on the other portable.

"OK, doubled team am I? Why don't you ask Randy? I know he's over there." Eddie said.

"He's not being very giving with information." Matt said in response.

"Has that ever stopped you before?" Eddie countered.

He was met with silence. Very stern silence.

"There was a fight between him and Allan. That's all you need to know." Eddie said hanging up the phone and going back over to his bed.

"What did Johnson do?" Julie asked looking over at Eddie as he plopped on the bed making the mattress sink and making her scoot towards him involuntarily.

"Long story. Now about the whole moving issue. I have a compromise." Eddie said seriously.

"And what's that?" Julie asked.

Eddie swiftly pushed her down on the bed and straddled her again keeping her hands above her head the whole time; "I let you up if you agree that we'll live in Roswell."

"Never!" Julie said loudly.

"Anyone ever told you your stubborn?" Eddie asked a smile playing at his handsome features.

"Hey Jackson, what happened between you and Allan in the locker room?" Mark asked as his brother and he jumped onto the counter top.

"What are you talking about?" Nicole asked eyeing them curiously.

"Your little boy toy here got into a fight with Allan Johnson today. We want to know why." Matthew said not bothering to look at Nicole. His eyes were boring perfect little circles into the back of Randy's head.

"You got into a fight with Allan?" Nicole asked the boy next to her.

"Can we talk about this later?" Randy asked his eyes glued to the paper in front of him.

"No." Mark said sternly.

"Hey, buddy, not your decision!" Nicole barked at her brother before turning back to her boyfriend, "No!"

"It's not really any of your business." Randy said his voice rigid.

"None of my business?" Nicole asked in disbelief, "My boyfriend getting in a fight is none of my business?"

"Just lay off." Randy said his irritation becoming evident.

" No." All three Guerins said at the same time.

"Fine! You really want to know why I fought with him?" Randy asked loudly as he stood up abruptly, "He was doing what he does best: running his mouth. He was spoutin' off about you and me. Telling me your were nothing but sloppy seconds." Randy finished leaning against the kitchen counter.

"And that gives you enough reason to fight?" Nicole asked.

"YES!" Three male voices bellowed.

"No it doesn't! You could've gotten the crap beaten out of you. In that locker room there are only two Nicole supporters and a ton of Allan supporters." She said standing up.

"Point?" Randy asked his voice still booming.

"You could've gotten hurt!" Nicole said clenching her fist tightly.

"But he obviously didn't." Mark reasoned.

"Besides would you rather have him stand by when people like Johnson talk trash about you?" Matt asked backing up his twin brother.

But all three of them could see it in her eyes. The deep steal tint that told them that she wasn't backing down anytime soon.

"OK Jenny, I hate to burst your bubble but there's no way we could actually vacation to Paris. Why don't you come up with something… cheaper?" Thomas asked as he reviewed over the project data.

"We could afford it if we only had one child and if you let me be a super model!" Jenny growled in exasperation.

"Jenny, we've been over this. You're going to design the clothes not wear them because it will produce a stronger emotional base for our family. Even though your beautiful and you could make a killing off your looks it's better for the family." Thomas said irritation evident in his voice.

'He even thinks I'm beautiful when I annoy him…' Jenny thought as she looked at Thomas in amazement.

"About the children… if you really only want one we can change the information. It's just that sometimes it gets lonely being the only child." Thomas said his gaze falling from her eyes and back down to the paper in front of him.

"Sometimes it is but sometimes, in certain painful situations, it's better to be alone." Jenny said with her shiny eyes cemented to her lap.

Thomas looked over at her. Under all that attitude and make-up sat a girl of pure vulnerability. She was stronger than she looked but at the same time she was so emotionally weakened… Thomas' heart ached with sympathy and something else he was unable to identify… he wished he could just hold her in his arms and make what ever was hurting her disappear but he knew no special powers were that strong.

"I would never let my family be put in such a painful situation. I will always and have always done anything and everything to keep the people I love safe." Thomas said not knowing what else to do.

"Disney World." Jenny said looking over at Thomas her eyes now dry of all tears.

"Now you're speaking my language!" Thomas cried as his eyes lit up.

"Now that we have all our data we should make a chart." Amanda said rereading over their report.

"For our finances." Josh said laying down the poster board beside his girlfriend, on the floor.

"After this we need to make up and document a family excursion." Amanda said already measuring and drawing the boundary lines. Josh quickly filled in the areas with labels and the proper percentages before waving his hand over it and color coding it.

"That was quick." Amanda said admiring their chart. They had always worked so well together.

"OK, I was thinking that we should go to the…" Josh began.

"Biology Center!" Amanda finished for him already knowing what he would suggest. Josh let a satisfied grin over come his handsome features.

"You are so amazing I can't even process it." He said sounding a lot dorkier than he intended.

Amanda crawled over to him and leaned against him. They sat there, on the carpet in Josh's bedroom, just staring at each other's eyes.

Josh let his hands trail up behind her and wrap themselves in her hair, urging her mouth towards his own.

"OK, about this trip thing I was thinking we could take the Tikes to a professional sports event." Eddie said his head half way in the refrigerator.

"No. I was thinking just a nice intimate outing. The requirements don't mention anything about age so I was thinking having them be about thirteen. We could take them to the park and play a game of basketball. And just enjoy ourselves." Julie said.

"That could work. Hungry?" Eddie asked holding up a large pizza box.

"What kind?" Julie asked as she stood and strolled towards him.

"One half pepperoni and pineapple and one half just plain pepperoni." He said putting the entire box into the microwave.

"Pepperoni only please. Who eats pepperoni and pineapple pizza?" Julia asked with a tone of disgust.

"Me and my mom." Eddie said glaring at the microwave impatient to eat.

"You two must love the twister meals at the Crashdown." Julie said shaking her head.

Eddie smiled thinking about the sweet and spicy versions of normal food that his Aunt Liz had added to the menu when her father had given her the restaurant.

"We do." Eddie said after the microwave cut off and he took the pizza out and set it down on the kitchen table.

"Sweet and spicy just don't mix." Julie said shaking her head.

"Yes they do." Eddie said giving her a pointed look.

"How?" Julie asked.

"Well you're sweet," Eddie said moving towards her quickly, "And I'm spicy," He began again this time wrapping her in his arms, "And we definitely mix." He finished kissing her hard.

"OK so sweet and spicy do mix." Julie said when he finally let her breathe.

His eyes were still gazing down at her, the food long forgotten. She gently reached up and put her hand on the back of his neck urging his head foreword, she just couldn't get enough of this combination

"I'm tired of fighting about this." Randy said not meeting Nicole's gaze head on.

"Then just tell me what possessed you to do such a thing." Nicole said giving her two brothers a death glare. They seemed to take the hint because they both reluctantly got up and left.

"Because he shouldn't have said that." Randy said for what was the millionth time that afternoon.

"That doesn't give you a right to get into a fight." Nicole protested.

Randy looked at her and the anger inside of him diminished. He slowly walked over to where she stood. He leaned down and put his arms around her waist making her body lean against his own.

"He was being disrespectful to you and if there's one thing I can't stand is someone talking about the people I care for. I know you don't like me fighting…" Randy began resting his chin on top of Nicole's head.

"I just don't want you to get hurt because of me." Nicole said nuzzling her head into his strong shoulders.

"I like you." Randy said in a child like voice.

"What?" Nicole asked confused as she looked up at him.

"I like you." He said in the same voice with a small smile.

"I like you too." Nicole said playing along.

"I like you more!" He said pouting out his lower lip slightly.

"I like you most!" Nicole said ready to play.

"I like you more than most! I like you mostestestestestest!" Randy countered.

"That's not even a word!" Nicole cried.

"So?" Randy asked shrugging his shoulders slightly, "I think I'll keep you."

"Promise?" Nicole asked her gray eyes bright with blue sparkles.

Randy nodded his head zealously.

"OK class it's time for your oral presentations! Any volunteers?" The teacher addressed the class as she sat down on top of her clean desk.

Instantly and not surprisingly Josh and Amanda's hands pop up.

"Josh, Amanda, please come to the front and discuss your project." The teacher said with a hint of amusement in her voice.

"Hello. I am Josh Evans and this is my wife Amanda Evans. We have been married for ten years and have acquired two children. We are both head scientists at Harvard University and our income ranges with in…" Josh began as he brought out their chart to explain.

"They brought a… a chart!" Nicole squealed into Randy's ear.

"They're Amanda and Josh… what did you expect?" Randy asked amused.

"Want to go next?" Nicole asked with out turning to him.

"Up to you." He said examining their written report.

"Thomas and the Ice Queen beat us to it." Nicole said leaning farther back in her seat so she could casually prop her hand on her boyfriend's knee before turning her attention back to the front.

"Hi. We're Mr. and Mrs. Whitman. We have two beautiful children who are currently the age of…" Jenny began to drone on.

"Jenny, have kids? Ha." Julie whispered into Edward's ear.

"I know Whitman wants them… but her? She's so non-motherly like." Edward whispered back his breath brushing Julie's ear.

"Yeah I know. So Julie what are we?" Edward asked the question that had been plaguing his mind since their little adventure in the kitchen.

"Next." Julie said as she stood up to give their oral report.

"They make me sick." Randy said to Nicole as he gestured to Amanda and Josh who were now staring deep into each other's eyes.

"Why don't we ever do that?" Nicole asked eyeing her boyfriend with mock hurt.

"Because we know how to express our selves better than that." He said as he raised his eyebrows.

"Well you know tomorrow Mr. Hartford has a meeting with the school board during 5th and I doubt any one would notice if two students juts happened to skip…" Nicole began a devilish glint in her eyes.

"Mr. and Mrs. Jackson. You're the only ones left." The teacher called from the front breaking into Nicole's tempting words.

Randy mumbled curse words under his breath as he walked towards the front behind Nicole.

"Hello. I'm Mr. Jackson and this is my wife Mrs. Jackson. We have five children. Three of them attend West Roswell High and the other two can be found at…" Randy began as so many had began before him.

"Think they have enough kids?" Josh asked Amanda as he scooted his chair over to sit right against her small frame.

"You've met them… you tell me." Amanda said as she leaned into her boyfriend's side listening to the story Nicole was now telling.

The End


	11. Looking Deeper 11

Title: Looking Deeper (#11)

Author: Vix

Email: Pg-13 (Insinuation to sexual visions and abuse)

Summary: If you read you'd know.

Spoilers: Not that I know of but just to be safe everything in first and second season.

Author's Notes: You won't get the title till you read the story. Hope you enjoy it. And I'd like to thank Shanova, Ange, and Kori for their support and feed. You chicks are absolute dolls! And I love you all!

Dedication: This FC is dedicated to Lori, who suggested the dating plot…

"Thought I'd find you here." Eddie said as he slowly walked into the abandoned weight room.

Julie stayed silent as she worked the military press with her arms showing strain.

"You've been dodging me the past week." Eddie continued standing right behind her.

Julie dropped the bars and turned around, "I didn't know you were looking for me."

"Yeah right, so that's why you literally ran the other way every time you saw me?" Eddie asked totally not believing her attempt to lie.

"I didn't run." Julie snapped.

"Fourth period." Eddie said blankly.

"I jogged. I was late for class." Julie said in an even harsher voice, she would not let herself be cornered.

"Well since school is over and its Friday we have plenty of time to talk." Eddie said smiling.

Julie maneuvered herself off the stool and some how around Eddie and made her way outside to the water faucet.

"Again with the avoidance." Eddie said following her.

"So Edward, is this your first time stalking?" Julie asked as she straightened up after taking in some H2O.

"Actually it is. How am I doing so far?" Eddie asked still smiling.

"Terrible." Julie said with the same grin.

"Come on Jewels, talk to me." Eddie said taking a step closer to her.

"About?" She asked taking a step back from Eddie and closer to the corner.

"Us." Eddie said taking another step.

"What us?" Julie asked trying to move away again, but this time she did hit the corner.

"Come on you and me both know what happened at my house." Eddie said putting his hands on either side of her body keeping her right where he wanted her.

"You kissed me." Julie said a smile flashed across her eyes, put not her lips.

"And you kissed me back." Eddie said softly as he leaned in ever so slowly- as if to give her time to move away.

Julie leaned up on her toes ever so slightly and caught his mouth with hers.

"Like I was saying," Eddie began when they pulled away, "Us- what are we?"

"Dating." Julie said firmly looking him in the eyes.

"Tonight?" Eddie asked worried.

"Yeah- tonight." Julie said shaking her head decisively.

"Well I sort of promised my cousin that I'd go out with them." Eddie said regretfully.

"Oh." Julie said not bothering to hide her blatant disappointment.

"And I doubt you want to tag along with Josh, Amanda, Randy, Nicole, and Thomas so maybe we could do something…" Eddie began looking at the floor.

"I'd love to tag along." Julie said immediately.

"When's your curfew?" Eddie asked looking back at her.

"I don't have one." Julie answered her blue eyes sparkling.

"So I guess I'll pick you up around 8:45? We're going to see a movie then we'll probably hang at the crashdown for a while. Is that OK?" Eddie asked unsure of himself.

"Perfect." Julie said leaning up again… she really was becoming addicted to the sweet and spicy combination they had going on.

"Hey Girl." Maria called out as the brunette walked through the front door not bothering to knock.

"Hi Mrs. Maria." Amanda said as she dropped her bag on the living room floor and walked into the kitchen.

"You live here now or something?" Mark asked in amusement as he watched Amanda went to the through the refrigerator looking for a beverage.

Amanda instantly straightened up and turned around, "Sorry."

"Don't be babe. Ignore the twins. We all ways do." Maria said smiling as she bustled around the kitchen setting the table for dinner.

"Thanks mom." Mark said as he and his brother grumbled.

"Hey." Michael whispered into his wife's ear as he snuck into the kitchen and caught her around the waist.

"Hey yourself." She said back leaning into his arms.

"Hey Amanda." Michael said, finally acknowledging the other people in the room.

"Hi Mr. Michael." Amanda said as she looked towards the clock then to the stairs.

"You staying for dinner?" Matt asked as he stood up to find the extra bottle of Tabasco for their meal.

"She's staying the night. Her and Nicole have plans later." Maria said smiling at the young girl.

"With?" Michael asked.

"People." Maria said calmly.

"Hey Amanda, Hey dad." Nicole said as she came down the stairs.

Amanda waved and her dad looked at her stone faced.

"Where and with who are you going out tonight?" Michael asked immediately, not returning the greeting.

"Amanda, Julie, Randy, Eddie, Thomas, Josh, and I are going out tonight. We're going go catch a movie then we're going to probably hang at the crash down for a little while. No worries dad." Nicole explained with only one breath, a smile on her face.

"Shall we eat?" Maria asked before her husband could open his mouth.

"I'm starving." Mark and Matt said together.

"As all ways." Nicole said sarcastically as she rolled her eyes.

"So you have another date tonight? Who's the lucky girl this time?" Kyle asked as his son walked around the living room trying to find his keys.

"Julie Bradfield." Eddie said smiling.

"You go on a lot of dates son. And I know we've had this talk before but you need to be careful." Kyle began again.

Eddie panicked- not again!

"Dad, stop right there. We already had the sex talk. I don't need or want it again." Eddie said shaking his head vigorously.

"I just want you to understand the consequences." Kyle said trying to make his son understand why this was so important.

"I do dad. I do." Eddie said shaking his head in nausea.

"I remember my times when I was young and I was careful. You should follow my example and…" Kyle began a way inappropriate lecture as Eddie plugged his ears with both fingers and hummed.

"Come on girls, Josh is waiting in the living room!" Michael yelled up the stairs to his daughter and her friend.

"We better hurry." Nicole said running a hand over her hair perfecting the golden ringlets.

"Problem!" Amanda hissed as she gestured to her still wet hair.

Nicole ran her hand across Amanda's locks "Problem solved."

"You look nice." Josh said to his girlfriend as they made their way down the stairs and to the front door.

Moments after the other three had left Mark and Matthew discretely walked towards the back door hopefully unnoticed by their parents.

Once they were outside they got into the Jetta, but when Mark started the car and turned on the lights there was a figure illuminated by the bright light.

"Busted." Matt said to his brother as they exited the car.

"Where are you boys going?" Michael asked as his sons came closer.

"We were going…" Matt began as he looked from his twin back to his father.

"Hold on- let me guess. You two were going to go catch a movie, the same one Nicole is at, and then you were going to go to the crashdown, where Nicole is going to be at, and hang out. Am I right?" Michael asked eyeing both boys.

They miserably shook their heads as they began to walk back to the house.

"Where do you two think you're going? Get back in that car and spy on your sister!" Michael ordered.

They looked at their dad in surprise before jumping hurriedly into the car and speeding away.

Michael quietly made his way back into the house where his wife was tapping her foot impatiently.

"Hi honey." Maria said through gritted teeth.

'Busted.' Michael thought as his eyes widened.

"Hi." Michael said walking cautiously towards the kitchen, away from his wife.

"So? What do you have to say for yourself?" Maria said walking closer.

"I love you." Michael said before he took off running through the house.

"Come back here SPACEBOY!" Maria yelled after him as she too began to race around their house trying to catch and maim her husband.

There stood seven teens outside the Movie Theater contemplating which movie to go see.

"OK, I vote we go watch 'Love Mates'" Nicole said turning slightly in Randy's arms so she could see the other couples.

"I still think we should go see 'Rages of Empire Galatica'." Thomas said in protest.

"Any other suggestions?" Josh asked the group.

There were none so he put it to a vote, "All in favor of 'Love Mates' raise your hand."

Instantly Julie, Nicole and Amanda raise their hands.

"'Rages of Empire Galatica'?" Josh asked raising his own hand along with Randy, Eddie, and Thomas.

"Four against three. 'Rages of Empire Galatica' it is." Thomas said happily.

"I know where you sleep." Nicole glared at her three cousins.

The three targets of her death glare swallowed… hard.

"I think he's a little too close to her if you ask me." Mark said as he scowled at the back of Randy's head.

"Want to have a little fun?" Matt asked eyeing Randy as he took a sip of his soda.

"Always." Mark said as he watched Randy's soda lid give, spilling soda all over Randy and Nicole.

"She's going to kill us." Matt said smirking at his twin as they slouched even lower in the back row.

"Only if she finds out." Mark said in a conspiracy like tone.

"I won't tell, you won't tell, we won't get caught. So that only leaves one loose end to the crime, dad." Matt said as he looked over at his brother thinking about their father and praying he could keep his mouth shut.

"You let them do what?" Maria cried as she corned Michael in the kitchen.

"Honey, you have to understand where I am standing here." Michael began trying to sweet talk his wife.

"You're standing this close to death's door buddy-boy." Maria said as she put her fingers together emphasizing how close he was to being hurt.

"Baby…" Michael tried again knowing that it most likely wasn't going to work.

Maria glared.

Make that definitely wasn't going to work.

"That movie sucked the big one." Nicole said as she sat down in the booth next to Randy and beside Thomas.

"Tell me about it." Amanda said between Thomas and Josh.

"What are you two talking about? It had robots, heroes, half-naked chicks and violence. It rocked." Thomas protested.

"Were the guys half-naked?" Nicole asked evenly.

"No." Eddie answered for all the guys.

"So if it didn't have half naked men what was the point of the movie?" Nicole asked.

"Exactly!" Julie and Amanda cried out from their places around the circular booth.

"Hey!" Randy said nudging his girlfriend.

"Come on, that's not even fair." Josh protested that as he threw Amanda a joking wounded look.

"I'd look better half naked then they would." Eddie said as he pretended to pout.

"Sure." Nicole said making a gagging noise as everyone busted out laughing, even Eddie.

"What are they talking about?" Matt asked as his brother used his hyper sense to try and catch the conversation that was going on across the café.

"The only thing I caught of that discussion was something about Eddie being nude." Mark said as he quickly tuned out the seven teens.

"You poor thing." Matt said with genuine pity.

"I'm hungry." Mark said shaking his head trying to rid such a disturbing image.

"Man if you can eat after that image you deserve a metal." Matt said calling a waitress over.

"Hey Tweedles. What can I get you?" The girl with long black hair asked.

"Why don't you ever address us like normal human beings?" Mark asked annoyed.

"Because you're subhuman little twirps." Veronica Martin said with scorn.

"Where's your other half. She not up your…" Matt began.

"Door-Matt! How are you this fine evening?" Vanessa asked as she came behind her twin sister.

"If you're not calling me Door-Matt you're calling me…" Matt began annoyed.

"Tweedle Dumb. And of course your other half is called Tweedle Dee. So fitting." Veronica said glaring at Mark.

"They're only mad because we used to call them…" Mark began smirking like his father.

"Don't you dare!" They both hissed in unison.

'Twins!' Mark sent the message to Matt.

'Aren't they adorable though?' Matt sent back the question.

Both Matt and Mark took a long appreciative look at the girl in front of them. Both had straight black hair and the prettiest cat eyes. Cat eyes by nature- not contacts. The color of their eyes were a striking violet… their skin nicely tanned.

"Oh the kittens got their whiskers in a twist?" Mark and Matt asked back at the same time giving both girls a twisted smile.

"What do you two want?" Vanessa asked in a menacing tone quick to get away.

"I think I'll have an alien blast and a number four twister." Matt said not bothering to actually look at the menu.

"And I would like a Blood of Alien smoothie with the same twister meal. Oh and Cherry lime liquid." Mark said.

"We'll be back with our orders." Veronica said about to turn around.

"You want a CL too?" Vanessa asked Matt.

"Sure." Matt answered before the girls turned to fill the orders.

"They're totally into us." Mark said to his twin settling down in the seats.

"And did you see them in their uniforms?" Matt asked checking out Vanessa out of the corner of his eye.

"Oh yeah." Mark said raising his eyebrows and wagging them for emphases.

"Bye!" Jenny called as she watched her so called friends get up and leave.

She had told them she'd find a ride home, that there was no need to worry, when really she had no ride. She was just going to walk.

Jenny gazed out the front window of the Crash Down only to find it was blurred by rain!

She scanned the patrons for anyone she knew… Thomas Whitman and a group of his friends were sitting on the other side of the crash down. Randy… Julie… Amanda… Nicole… Josh… Eddie…

The only other people there and she couldn't even associate with them… or him… not that she'd ever let anyone really give her a ride home… not on a Friday and especially not after payday.

She took a book out from her purse and began to read. If the rain didn't let up till closing then she was going to be one very wet Jenny Selles.

"OK you ready?" Josh asked Nicole and Amanda ready to take them home.

"I'll take Nicole home." Randy offered grabbing Nicole's hand as they stood up.

"All right." Josh said leaning towards Amanda.

"Bye." Eddie said kissing Nicole on the cheek.

"Later guys." Julie called as Eddie lead her out of the restaurant and to his car.

"Bye." Thomas said kissing Nicole on the other cheek before her, Randy, Josh, and Amanda left.

He sat back down in the booth picking up his Cherry Lime Liquid.

He caught sight of two a spiky heads sneaking out the back door…

Thomas laughed to himself taking in the rest of the café. His internal laughing stopped when his eyes feel on the only other person besides the twins that were working.

He casually stood up making a decision to either leave or keep her company…

He swallowed hard and walked towards her. After all it would be kind of fun bothering the Ice Queen.

"Jenny the Great! What are you doing here this fine evening?" Thomas asked as he sat down across from her uninvited.

"Reading." She said in an even tone not taking her eyes from the book.

"Robert Frost," Thomas commented looking at the cover of the said book, "That's a big favorite in my house."

"What's your favorite poem?" Jenny asked putting the bookmark on her page and closing the book.

"The Road Not Taken." Thomas said instantly.

"Me too." She said with a small smile.

"Two Roads diverge in a yellow wood." Thomas challenged.

"And sorry I could not travel both and be one traveler," Jenny continued.

"Long I stood and looked down one as far as I could." Thomas added the next line.

"To where it bent in the undergrowth," Jenny said smiling at him.

"Then took the other, as just as fair," Thomas continued giving her a grin.

"And having perhaps the better claim, Because is was grassy and wanted wear, though as for that the passing there had worn them really about the same." Julie said putting her head on her balled up fists.

"And both that morning equally lay in leaves no step had trodden black. Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way," Thomas began to next memorized stanza.

"I doubted I should ever come back. I shall be telling this with a sigh some where ages and ages hence-" Julie continued before Thomas joined her in the last line, "Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference."

"I didn't know you liked Robert Frost." Thomas said looking from the book back to Jenny's beautiful eyes.

"Yeah he's one of my favorite poets." Jenny said her cheeks changing from ivory to the lightest pink.

"Do you read a lot?" Thomas asked taking one of the fries from her abandoned plate.

"Some times. When it rains I like to curl up with a candle and read a really good book." Jenny admitted brushing the hair back from her face.

"Who have you read that has really left an impact? Ever heard of Lois Duncan?" Thomas asked taking another fry but this time dipping it in ketchup.

"Yeah she's pretty good but I actually favor Ann Rice more. You ever heard about her?" Jenny asked before an after thought popped into her head and right out of her mouth, "Or how about Vix Heaven?"

"Heard of Ann Rice, I really enjoy her stuff… but Vix Heaven? I live with her books beside my bed!" Thomas said shaking his head at the author's greatness. AUTHOR NOTE: I just **_HAD_** to do that 0)

"I know what you mean." Jenny said glad she was no longer by herself…

"I love rain." Jenny said her vision fluttering towards the darkened sky.

"I like the sound of rain on the window, and I love playing outside in the rain." Jenny said her eyes going from the window to Thomas deep hazel eyes.

"That's one of my favorite actives too!" Thomas said his face brightening with a grin.

"Here's your check, you can pay at the counter." Vanessa smiled at them as she placed a piece of paper face down on the table and walked away.

"What time is it?" Jenny asked as she gathered her stuff and stood with the 'check' in hand.

"It's," Thomas said standing and glancing at his wrist where his fossil lay, "almost ten o'clock."

"Great." She said sarcastically as she walked towards the counter, Thomas at her heels.

"I better go call my parents to come get me… I rode here with my cousins." Thomas said shrugging as he watched Jenny pay Veronica.

"Yeah I should probably start walking." Jenny said her eyes instantly going back towards the window.

"Walking?" Thomas asked his eyes blinking a few times and growing considerably in size.

"That's what people do when they don't have their car." She said slowly as if talking to a child.

"Why don't you call your parents?" Thomas asked confused.

"I don't feel like calling my dad." Jenny said her eyes cementing themselves to the floor.

"You can't walk." Thomas said sternly, "I'll have my parents give you a ride."

With that he was at the back room's door.

"No!" Jenny called out quickly.

"Why not?" Thomas asked wheeling around at the desperateness in her voice.

"I'd just rather walk. I really don't mind. Like I said I love the rain." Jenny said offering what she hoped was an encouraging smile.

"All right, but at least let me get you a bag to put your stuff in so your book doesn't get ruined." With that Thomas was in the back room and out again in a flash holding a plastic bag.

"Thanks." Jenny said as she placed her purse in the bag and closed it tightly.

Jenny looked back at him and waved as she exited the Crash Down's front door. As soon as she was outside she felt the rain pelt down on her at a rapid pace.

She hugged herself close, as she looked both ways then ventured across the street the street lights leaving an eerie glow on all the shapes do to the raindrops.

Suddenly she heard footsteps… more then her own…

'Relax Jenny, more then one person walks on the street per day… it is public after all' Jenny mentally chastised herself as her body tensed.

She experimented despite the foolishness she thought… She stopped… and so did they. She immediately whirled around and her jaw fell.

"So have you ever been to Buckley Point?" Eddie asked turning the radio down so that they could listen to each other.

"Why?" Julie asked suspiciously as she turned in her seat and leaned against the car door.

"Just curious." Eddie said shrugging his shoulders a little.

"Really?" Julie asked her eyebrows going up, "And why are you curious?"

"No reason." Eddie said letting out a small sigh.

"I hate rain." Julie said her eyes sliding from Eddie to the window behind him.

"Why?" Eddie inquired titling his head so that it lay against the window.

"Cause you can't play sports in the rain. The ball gets slippery, the ground gets muddy and you slip, plus it never works really well to run in a wet uniform." Julie said pulling on of her legs underneath her.

"So you play basketball and baseball?" Eddie asked intrigued.

"And tennis, and bowling, and I swim, and I play soccer, and I enjoy playing handball, plus there's always…" Julie began to count off the sports on her fingers.

"I get the picture." Eddie said laughing slightly, "I had no idea you were in to so many different sports."

"You don't know anything about me Valenti." Julie said a small frown claiming her mouth.

"That's why we're on a date right now… to get to know each other a little better." Eddie said smiling, that line had all ways brought to mind hormonal induced fantasies for him. That was, of course, before now not that he wouldn't mind having hormonal induced fantasies about Julie it was just that now he meant it, he wanted to know more about her personality and body, but the body would come later.

"What's your favorite movie?" Eddie asked starting one very long and informing conversation.

"I don't want to grow up- I'm a Toys 'R' Us kid. There's so many toys at Toys 'R' Us that I can play with. From trains to planes to video games." Nicole sang out loud in the shower to her own beat.

Amanda looked at the phone as it started ringing.

She put the science magazine she was currently engrossed in beside her on the bed before rolling over to retrieve the ringing annoyance. Unfortunately for her she misjudged how far she had to roll because before she knew what happened Amanda found herself sprawled out on the floor, the phone above her head still ringing loudly and persistently.

With a huff she pushed herself to her knees and took the phone off the hook and put it to her ear, "Hello Roswell Insane Asylum to whom may I direct your call?"

"Amanda?" Randy asked with a snort of laughter.

"Hey." Amanda said back finally on the bed.

"Did my girlfriend teach you that one?" Randy asked shaking his head slightly.

"Who else?" Amanda asked amused.

"Speaking of Insane Asylum, would you mind directing my call to one Guerin, Laurie Nicole Guerin to be specific." Randy said trying to keep a straight tone and not laugh.

"That would be in the shower section at the moment." Amanda said as she picked the magazine up and read the picture caption.

"Really. Is that her in the back ground?" Randy asked as he strained to hear Nicole's voice over the shower.

"You betcha." Amanda said as she glanced over to the bathroom door as the water cut off and Nicole started singing full force.

"It's the biggest toy store there is, GEE-WHIZ! I don't want to grow up cause if I did I wouldn't be a Toys 'R' Us kid!" Nicole sang even louder as she came out of the bathroom in her pajamas, which consisted of baggy navy blue satin pants and a small tight strap top that matched in material and color.

"Who's that?" Nicole asked as her eyes flashed from the phone to Amanda.

"Catch." Amanda said as she tossed the phone in Nicole's direction.

"Hello?" Nicole asked into the phone.

"Nice lyrics." Randy said as Nicole groaned.

"Thomas!" Jenny screeched out of panic and surprise.

"Yeah?" Thomas asked; his hands stuffed way down in the pockets of his coat.

"What do you think you're doing?" Jenny asked as she walked straight up to him.

He extracted his hands from their burial place, "Walking you home." He said shortly taking her arm in his and turning her around so they were walking forward.

"Oh no you're not." Jenny said in protest as she stopped in her tracks.

"Jenny, you can't walk all the way home by yourself, especially in this weather." Thomas said taking her arm yet again and trying to pull her along in the rain.

"Thomas I said no." Jenny said this time standing in front of him.

"I'm going to go with you. Deal with it." Thomas said starring down at her.

"Why? Why do you insist on baby-sitting me?" Jenny asked shivering from the cool temperature.

Thomas, being the son of one Alex Whitman, instantly noticed and slipped off his warm jacket and pulled it around her wet shoulders, "Because if I don't walk you home I'm going to worry about you all night." With that he tucked a stray piece of golden hair behind her ear.

This time he took her arm to lead her she did not fight, and he didn't let go.

"I had a great time tonight." Julie said as Eddie walked her to her front door.

"I'm glad. I have to admit that the best part of the night was at Buckly Point." Eddie said grinning at his date.

"You mean the hour of make out time…" Julie began her questions.

"No, I mean the hour and a half of talking." Eddie said feigning hurt.

"So you didn't like making out?" Julie asked a hint of disbelief in her voice.

"I didn't say that!" Eddie said quickly, "That… was very fun. But putting that aside I liked having you to my self and getting to know you better."

"Really?" Julie asked leaning against the railing of her porch.

"Yeah." Eddie whispered as he removed his hands from his jacket pockets, one clenched into a semi-tight fist.

"That's why I wanted to ask you if," Eddie coughed from the dryness in his throat and smiled nervously, "If you'd like to be a steady thing?"

"You mean…" Julie began pushing her self off the railing slightly.

Eddie brought his hand up eye level and released its contents. From a bright sliver chain hung Edward James Valenti's varsity football ring, "I mean just me and you."

Julie took the step that separated them and captured his lips with her own erasing all traces of nervousness or unease.

Jenny shivered as they past by the park.

"You want to stop some place dry?" Thomas asked as he gestured to the playgrounds where there was a covered picnic area.

Jenny just shook her head yes and they slowly made their way towards the dry shelter.

"God I look like a mess." Jenny said from under the tin roof as she ran a hand through her soaked hair.

"No, more like Marlyn Manson with the eye streak things." Thomas said gesturing to his own face where the well titled "eye streak things" were.

"Mascara." Jenny explained as she examined the substance that she retained on her hand by brushing the top of her cheekbone.

"Come here." Thomas said moving closer.

She did as asked. Thomas ran his long skilled fingers across her face, wherever a streak was.

"Much better." Thomas said removing his hands from her cold and damp skin.

When his warm hands left her face she involuntarily shivered from loss of contact, "Thanks."

"You're freezing." Thomas said as her movements confirmed his observation.

"I'm fine." Jenny said as Thomas walked around her and put his arms around her shoulders.

"You're freezing." He repeated his statement leaving no room for an argument as he began to run his hands up and down her arms.

Thomas began to concentrate on her and her alone. He was trying to make a small connection, small enough she wouldn't notice but large enough so that he could share his body warmth better. His motions stopped and he wrapped his arms around her so that he could receive a better and stronger link.

He had expected an image but nothing close to the one he received. He got a flash of Jenny staring in the mirror. Her reflection was shocking She was wearing only her underwear and bra. That wasn't what had stunned him. There were bruises and blood all over her body. Suddenly the vision was replaced of one with a man, he assumed to be her father, holding a beer bottle.

Thomas shivered from the disgust and anger those two images brought to him.

"Looks like you're the one that's cold now." Jenny said teasingly as she turned in his arms.

She had a simple smile on her face but it didn't come close to reaching her eyes.

"I'm fine." Thomas said his mind returning to the present.

"Sure you are." Jenny said again shaking her head in mock agreement.

Thomas smiled a little, more for her sake than for any actual amusement. Nothing could really amuse him right now. Nothing could take the sour taste of revulsion from his mouth.

"Want to go watch a movie?" Thomas asked suddenly.

"Now?" Jenny asked her eyebrows drawing together quickly.

"Yeah we could go catch the last show. It's only 10:30." Thomas said going over the movies in his mind.

"We could go see that new movie 'Love Mates' if you want. It starts in about fifteen minutes." Thomas said double checking his watch.

"Thomas this can't be a date or anything like that." Jenny began to pull back.

"I was thinking of going as friends." Thomas said taking his arms from around her and holding them up in the air hostage style.

"The theater's only about a block from here. We could make it easily, but I don't want to go see Love Mates. When does Rages of Empire Galactic play?" Jenny asked her head cocked to one side.

"10:40." Thomas said as he gestured with his arms for her to walk in front of him.

"Come along buddy!" Jenny said grabbing the front of his shirt as she passed him.

"It's now Midnight and it's still raining." Jenny said as she looked through the glass into the black night.

"That it is." Thomas said looking out the glass.

"Come on we should get you home." Thomas said as he opened the door in front of them and nudged her outside.

"Where do you live anyway?" Thomas asked.

"Not far from here actually. About a block down from Gazer Ave." Jenny said as her half-dry clothes started to become wet again.

"Cool." Thomas said nodding right behind her.

"You know, I can walk from here." Jenny said taking a side ways glance at him.

"I insist my lady." Thomas said stopping to do a fake bow to her.

"I'll be fine. I've walked down these streets a million times." Jenny said stifling a laugh from Thomas impression.

"At Midnight?" Thomas asked in amazement.

"Even later at times." Jenny said shrugging her shoulders.

"Why?" Thomas asked his mind flashing back to the images he had received from her. Images that still repulsed him to the core.

"Sometime you just got to get out of the house you know?" Jenny asked turning around so that she was facing Thomas.

"Yeah actually I do understand. I mean sometimes you've got to let reality fall away and leave you just… purely you I guess… That made no sense." Thomas said his eyes cast on the ground.

"I understand what you're saying perfectly clear. Sometimes you just can't deal with life so you… you distance yourself from it all. And even if it's only for a short time frame it's worth it." Jenny said touching the bottom of his chin so that his eyes meet hers.

"I usually escape to my roof. I have a room on the second floor so I just sneak out my window and look at the stars." Thomas said softly his eyes even gentler then his gaze.

"I usually walk. Where ever I end up I just end up." Jenny said her eyes now straying but a smile plated on her red lips.

"You know judging by the company you keep I would never have guessed that you were so… real I guess. You know the whole you feel thing is a little hard to believe." Thomas said and instantly regretted it as the small grin on her face dwindled then blanked out.

"They're not really my friends." Jenny said as she turned around and started down her street.

"Then why hang with them?" Thomas asked watching her eyes glaze over.

"If you hang with people who don't care you don't really have to worry about questions. You don't have to share the real you and they can't judge you for what they don't know." Jenny said her pace quickening with every step.

"Jenny," Thomas called as she walked down her drive- his tone bringing her to a halt, "You can be yourself around me."

Jenny looked up to the house just feet away and then back at the quickly approaching boy.

"I can?" She asked her voice barely above a whisper.

"I know I don't know you very well, but if you need me, you know where I am." Thomas said resting a friendly hand on her shoulder.

"Thanks for the offer, and the movie, and the walk." Jenny said her lips twisting into an angelic smile.

"No problem." Thomas said squeezing her shoulder before removing his hand completely.

"I'll see you later." Jenny said and on an unexplained impulse she hugged him.

"Good-Night." Thomas said leaning his cheek against her wet hair for a moment longer than needed, all he wanted at that moment was to take her home with him and protect her… but things weren't that simple- not on this planet.

With that thought he pulled back and watched her until she was safely inside. Then he began the long walk back to his own house.

His mind was racing so fast that he didn't notice the numbness that claimed his body. His mind couldn't stop going back to the images… the frightful things that would no doubt plague his mind for many nights to come.

As he stepped through the doors to his house he wasn't surprised by the sight that found his consciousness. There, bundled up, in front of a fire were his parents, they both looked worried and nervous.

"Where were you?" Isabel asked as soon as she sensed Thomas.

Thomas opened his mouth but was cut off; "Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"Isabel." Alex said calmly waking up behind his wife, "Give the boy time to explain."

"I walked a friend home and we stopped to watch a movie." Thomas said shrugging.

"It's one in the morning! You didn't think to call! You're an hour over curfew!" Isabel said loudly as she ran her hands over her son drying his clothes and hair.

"You're freezing!" Isabel said as she felt her sons ice cold arm, "Where's your jacket."

"My friend has it." Thomas said his mind returning to his earlier thoughts.

"Who is this friend?" Isabel asked suspiciously.

"Nobody." Thomas said trying to keep his voice up to its usual tone but failing miserably.

"Thomas…" Alex began worriedly.

"Can I go take a shower?" Thomas asked a small plan formulating in his mind.

"Call next time." Isabel said as she gave him a hug.

"Yes ma'am." Thomas said hugging her back before racing up the stairs.

Thomas felt some of the feeling return to his limbs as he washed his body in steaming water. He washed as fast as he could before turning the water off and slipping into a pair of boxers that were covered in guitars. He walked out of his personal bathroom before finding the candles Nicole had placed around his room for when she stayed over.

He lit the ones that were guaranteed to calm your senses and he turned off the lights leaving his room bathed in a dim glow.

He picked his yearbook off his book shelve and went to his bed. Laying down he flipped through the pages till he found what he had been looking for. Her face smiled back from the page as he ran his long fingertips across it turning into liquid almost.

He laid his head back and thanked whatever God existed and watched over him that he had inherited the dream walking talent from his mother.

He was surrounded by blackness… suddenly it was if a switch had been flipped. The entire enclosure was painted in a darkened gray and lighting was striking outside a window. Everytime the live fire would spring to life the room would be cast in light briefly… but it was enough for Thomas to know, or at least for him to guess, where he was. He was standing against a wall in Jenny's room.

He searched with his quickly accustoming eyes. She was on her bed… she was crying… her head and body were covered by a deep black bedspread that was coarse to the touch.

Thomas reached for the top of the covers to pull them down. What he thought was Jenny was not… It was a horribly disfigured body… The creatures skin hung of the bones and was covered in blue and black bruises… the hair was stringy and gray… and the face? It was buried in the pillow where the painful wails could be heard.

The bruises…Thomas swallowed the bile that had risen in his throat. He mustered his curiosity and courage as he reached out and gentle turned the body over to expose its true identity… In front of him lay a half clothed and by the looks of it half-dead Jenny Selle.

'Was this really how she saw herself? Was this what he made her feel like?' Thomas couldn't stop the questions that bombarded his brain.

The next flash of lighting scared him, but only because it illuminated a real corpse… lying on the other side of the bed. The man that had been the key character in his earlier visions was now dead in this reality and Thomas would have bet his guitar strings Jenny had indeed envisioned herself killing him. And strangely enough, for a person who didn't believe in violence, he was oddly pleased by the thought.

Thomas walked back towards the window. But before he could disappear as he was planning he heard a small noise behind him, "Thomas."

The scratchy sound of Jenny's voice made his own throat ache.

"Yes?" He asked turning around to see her struggling to sit up. He was beside her instantly to help her.

"You can't be here." She said the strain apparent in her voice.

"You can't see me! I'm a freak!" She began her voice losing strength instead of gaining it.

"No you're not." Thomas said kneeling in front of her despite her words for him to go.

"Close your eyes." Thomas said an idea springing to his mind.

He placed his hand over her eyes as he concentrated on changing the things around them. When Jenny opened her eyes again she was surprised to see that her room had disappeared.

In it's place was a safe open haven where nothing could hurt her. And there was no lighting or clouded skies, just a full moon and brilliant stars. The most surprising thing of all was her appearance. She was no longer the rotting body. She looked as she had the day before. Her hair hung loosely around her and Thomas was sitting beside her his arms around her shoulders.

"Welcome to my roof." Thomas whispered into her ear before leaving. He knew her nightmares were gone and he left her where she'd be protected.

The End


	12. Loving Relations 12

Title: Loving Revelations (#12)

Author: Vix

Email: PG-13

Category: FC (Romance)

Spoilers: None

Author's note: I OWN THE CHILDREN - not their parents.

Dedication: To all the fans that love Nicole and Randy and that have been requesting a r/n story. You all know who you are! 0)

"Why did we get suckered into helping her again?" Eddie asked as he and Thomas carried two giant ten-gallon buckets over to their cousin's side.

"Because you love me." Nicole smiled at him before going back to her painting.

"I really don't think that's the reason." Josh said as he and Amanda finished moving the furniture out of the room.

"We appreciate the help guys." Randy said wiping his hands on his jeans.

"Yeah just remember Jackson, you two owe us." Eddie said as he left to retrieve another paint bucket.

"We owe you? We've have been working on this for over three months!" Nicole said as she gestured to the walls covered by paper so that their entire masterpiece wasn't shown until they were completely finished, "Besides, whatever happened to helping out family?"

"Family my butt!" Amanda said as she scooted a chair out of the room.

"Listen, once you guys are done with the moving you can leave. The twins have the front covered." Nicole said stretching slightly.

"Later." Eddie and Thomas called as they gave Nicole a kiss on each cheek and left gleefully.

"Call me when you get home. If you can't get my cell try Josh's." Amanda said hugging Nicole.

"If we don't answer leave a message." Josh said smiling thinking of Buckly Point…

"You little horn dog." Nicole said rolling her eyes roughing up Josh's hair.

Randy smiled at the display as they left.

"Stop it!" Nicole laughed as Randy continued to tickle her.

"I like you." Randy said putting a dollop of paint on her nose.

"I like you too." Nicole said smearing her paintbrush across his forehead covering it in green paint.

"I like you more!" He said dripping paint in her golden and now greenish hair.

"I like you more than you like me!" She said as she smeared paint across his entire shirt and took off running Randy right behind her.

"Hey dad, what are you doing here? I thought you and mom were going to the movies." Matt said as he jabbed his brother.

Mark quickly removed his earphones and took attention.

"Yeah, I forgot my wallet in my locker when I changed." Michael explained making his way into the hallway. It was cluttered with furniture and lockers.

He looked around the hallway till he came to his own locker.

After he took his wallet out he went to see how Nicole and Randy were doing on their mural.

He was not surprised to find Randy chasing Nicole around the room with a paint brush in hand. They started to speak so he opened the door just the slightest bit so that he could eavesdrop unnoticed.

"You can't catch me!" Nicole said as she raced away from him to towards the freshly painted wall

Before she could get very far Randy captured her around the waist and pulled her backwards losing his balance and falling as well. They laughed at each other before sitting up.

"OK, so you can catch me!" Nicole said brushing a curl away from her blue gray eyes.

Michael chuckled at them silently.

"Nicole," Randy began looking her in the eyes.

"Yeah?" Nicole asked looking back at him.

He took her face in his hands gently. His breathing speed up as he confessed, "I love you."

Before Nicole could even think to respond her father was bursting angrily through the doors, "What on Earth is going on here?"

"Mr. Guerin." Randy began as he quickly stood up along with Nicole.

"You're fired." Michael roared at Randy as he grabbed Nicole's arm and pulled her towards the door.

"Dad!" Nicole tried to pull away from him.

"Don't you dare 'dad' me!" Michael growled as he finished dragging her into the front of the gallery by her brothers.

"Tell Randy that he can pick up his **last** pay check tomorrow." Michael sneered as he dragged his daughter out of the front and into the parking lot.

"Dad!" Nicole tried again but to no avail.

"What happened?" Maria asked as she watched her husband open the back door to the Explorer and make his daughter get in.

"Change of plans we're going home." Michael said as he threw the vehicle into gear.

"Daddy!" Nicole tired again.

"Don't you dare 'DADDY' me." Michael said in an anger-controlled voice.

"Michael!" Nicole said loudly.

"Unless you want to be spanked like a five-year-old you watch your tone young lady!" Michael barked out as he sped across town.

"What happened?" Maria asked as both of them went silent.

"I have no clue ask him." Nicole said leaning back in her seat.

"I'll tell you when we get home." Michael said as he continued to stare out the front window.

"OK, we're home. EXPLAIN!" Maria commanded; her hands placed firmly on her hips in an agitated expression.

"When I went back to the gallery to find my wallet I also checked up on Nicole and Randy to see how their mural was coming along. They were running around so I stood outside to see what was going on." Michael began to explain to his wife as he riffled through the refrigerator for milk, Tabasco sauce, and the chocolate syrup.

"That's called spying you know?" Nicole asked glaring at the wall not looking at her father.

"I was not spying." Michael said slamming the milk down on the counter.

"Yes you were." Nicole said flashing her angry eyes at her father.

"I warned you about your tone young lady. Go to your room!" Michael said sternly as he turned around to get a spoon, and so that he didn't have to look at his daughter because out of all their children she was the one he hated to punish the most.

"Mom…" Nicole began.

"Honey, just go to your room and let me talk to your father, OK?" Maria asked softly.

"Sure." Nicole said with a barely audible sigh as she hastily jogged up her stairs and into her room.

"Michael…" Maria began gently.

"Maria he told her he loved her…" Michael said squirting an overly generous amount of chocolate syrup into the milk.

"Oh my… what did she say?" Maria asked as she pulled out another cup and began to make herself something to drink her face portraying excited interest.

"She didn't have time to answer." Michael said gruffly as he poured red liquid into his cup.

"Michael please tell me you didn't." Maria requested hopefully.

Michael looked her in the eyes and she knew what he had done instantly. Her hopes were crushed, as was her teenage daughter up in her room.

"Michael…" Maria began.

"He's going to hurt her." Michael said before she could even get anything else out of her mouth.

"So? Let her decide whether or not she's ready for this. Because if she is ready for love than she's ready to be hurt… pain comes with love it's just that simple." Maria said taking the Tabasco and other supplies and placing them back in the refrigerator.

"She's seventeen! She doesn't know what she's ready for." Michael spat out still angry at the thought of his daughter having to endure any kind of pain.

Maria only looked at him with visible disbelief as she brought her glass to her lips.

"She's only seventeen!" Michael cried out exasperated trying to get his point across.

Maria swallowed the sip she had just taken; "We were only seventeen."

With those soft words she walked away and into their bedroom, her milk in hand, leaving a disturbed husband behind.

Nicole paced nervously as she waited for Randy to walk through the doors. She and her father had avoided each other all morning.

Nicole had been careful to make sure that they sat as far away from each other at breakfast and she had made sure he was no where to be found when she left the house. If he didn't know where she was he couldn't punish her for it.

The door to the back room slowly slid open and Randy snuck inside ever so quiet so that he didn't disturb his beautiful girlfriend.

"Nice try." Nicole said as Randy came only centimeters from her.

Randy smiled as he slipped his arms around Nicole's waist… she always knew…

"About yesterday…" Nicole began turning in his arms.

"Don't even say it." Randy commanded as Nicole obviously began to apologize.

"I'm sorry my dad fired you. It's my fault." Nicole said against Randy's protests.

"It's not your fault. As I recall I'm the one who said the 'L' word in front of him." Randy said resting his forehead against hers.

"About that," Nicole said taking a deep uneven breath to calm herself, "Randy I love you too."

Michael glared through the window. He had just witnessed one of the most infuriating displays of his life…

"Nicole can I have a moment alone with Randy?" Michael asked as he again disturbed their private moment.

"Dad…" Nicole began to objection when Randy stepped in.

"Honey, don't worry about it. I'll see you outside." Randy said putting a hand on the small of her back and urging her towards the door.

Once She made it outside the door she ran into the twins.

"Is he dead yet?" Mark asked as he tried to look around her.

"I give him five minutes." Matt said as he too looked around his sister.

"More like five sentences." Mark continued as he finally gave up on looking around Nicole and pushed her out of the way.

"You two little inconsiderate, idiotic…" Nicole began to let lose on her little brothers.

"You wanted to speak to me sir?" Randy asked looking Michael in the eye.

"I wanted to give you this." Michael said gesturing to the paycheck in his hand.

"Thank you." Randy said not breaking eye contact and not taking the check.

"You could get your job back." Michael said lowly knowing that there were prying ears.

"How is that?" Randy asked quirking an eyebrow in apprehension.

"If you and my daughter weren't so serious I could trust you to do your job here." Michael said hating himself even more. He loved his daughter and wouldn't let her get hurt even if that meant resorting to a scumbag. A scumbag he never wanted to turn into but in the long run this was for the best… wasn't it?

"I really love working here Mr. Guerin. I get to work with an experienced artist such as yourself and I even get practice for my own painting technique, and I have to admit the pay isn't the worst a kid could get in Roswell." Randy said with fake enthusiasm but true words.

"But I'll have to decline because your daughter means more to me then some job." Randy finished his eyes boring perfect little daggers into Michael's.

"Randy, I like you as an employ and as an artist, but not as a person involved with my daughter." Michael tried to explain nicely even though that last remark had thrown him for a loop.

"I get it you don't want her to get hurt, right?" Randy asked Michael.

"She's my daughter. She's too young for all of this- she's only seventeen." Michael said changing his stance so that he looked more menacing.

"I know how old she is. I grew up with her, and I won't hurt her. Hurting her would be like stabbing my self with a knife." Randy said finally breaking the older man's gaze and walking to a near by work table, "And then watching her cry would be like twisting the knife, yanking it out and pouring straight lemon and salt juice into the wound."

"Descriptive." Michael said shaking his head slightly.

"Bottom line is I won't hurt her, I love her for crying out loud." Randy said as he turned back to Michael.

"Here's your paycheck." Michael said emotionless… Randy had just said the wrong thing…

"Keep it." Randy said as he walked out leaving the doors swinging behind him.

"Randy," Nicole called out as her boyfriend walked past the three of them, his hand latching on to Nicole's wrist.

Once Randy had drug Nicole in to the lobby he spun her around and kissed her. This wasn't one of their usual sweet kisses, or one of their passionate kisses, this was the kiss he had wanted to give her the first time that he had confessed his love to her. He put every ounce of love and trust into his movements and tried to make her feel just how much he cared for her.

"I'll call you later, when I can talk." Randy said as he pulled back and walked through the front door not throwing her another glance.

"DAD!" Nicole screeched as she brought herself down off the natural high that Randy had just given her.

Nicole turned and marched into the newly painted room where her brother's were conversing with her father.

"Out!" She growled.

"No." Mark and Matt said giving her a look that only further infuriated her.

Suddenly there was a burst of power and both boys were thrown out of the room and the door slammed behind them. She was pissed and her heightened abilities were only more proof, but the only proof you needed were her eyes… her dark gray eyes were slowly turning even darker into a blackened shade.

"Nicole." Michael warned not in the mood for her yelling even though he knew he deserved it.

"Don't you dare 'Nicole' me!" Nicole screeched as she mentally pulled a chair up behind her father, "Sit."

"You do not order me around! I don't care how angry you are. I am your father!" Michael yelled loudly.

"Then act like it!" Nicole yelled back as she began to pace.

"What do you think that was? I'm trying to protect you and you won't even open your eyes and see it." Michael cried out glaring at the wall behind his daughter's moving body.

"That was not protecting me! That was you being selfish! I have no clue what you said to my boyfriend but you pissed him off beyond words! I could feel the anger radiating off his body in waves of pure disgust! He never gets that angry!" Nicole said starting to motion with her hands before correcting herself, "Almost never."

"Almost never?" Michael asked eyes wide.

"He has a few times." Nicole said still trying to compose her words inside her head.

"Has he ever gotten that mad in front of you?" Michael asked looking towards the door Randy had exited moments ago.

"A couple." Nicole said deciding that the way to her dad was through Randy's own emotions.

"You know Allan Johnson?" Nicole asked looking at her dad with weary eyes.

"Yeah, scum bag, why?" Michael asked confused as to what that had to do with Randy but knowing he was not going to like it none the less.

"I went out on one date with him before and he tried something so I popped him one. Needless to say I didn't stick around very much longer. Randy picked me up off the side of the road. I didn't want him to but he wouldn't leave unless I came with him." Nicole smiled at the memory that had not seemed so pleasant at the time.

"Why didn't I know about the date?" Michael asked his eyebrows together, he would never let his daughter date some one with that reputation.

"Because you'd believe the rumors." Nicole said answering him before continuing, "Another time he got mad in front of me he got physical with the object of his anger."

"When, where, why, and who?" Michael asked bring the chair around so he could straddle it.

"An East jock, Rick Gordon to be precise, kept hitting on me and when he made a move I spit in his face. He tried to hit me but Randy came over and knocked him flat on his butt." Nicole said her eyes flashing from the floor to her father to see his reaction.

His face was unreadable even though Nicole could tell that, by his eyes, he was processing everything she said slowly, actually taking into consideration the facts she was spouting out.

"The only other time I've felt him be that mad was when Allan Johnson was bad talking me in the locker room. Randy went off on him, or so I heard. Allan had two back eyes, one broken nose, and he had a nice little speech impediment for a while." Nicole said laughing out loud.

"And this is funny?" Michael asked tapping his worn rings on the chairs metal back.

"He's just like you." Nicole said smiling.

"Must protect. No harm come. Me man. Her weak woman!" Nicole said trying her best to imitate a barbaric caveman.

"The difference is he let's me make my own decisions. He let's me be my own person. He doesn't treat me like a five-year-old. He knows I'm smart enough to not get in over my head. He knows I'm not weak. But he still loves me enough to either try and persuade me not to make mistakes or to at least be there when it all falls down." Nicole said her arms had stopped failing and her amusing tone had left her voice.

"You know even when he was angry at you I could feel his LOVE! Do you have a problem with some one extra to protect your daughter? Care for your daughter? Someone else that you have to share her with?" Nicole began criticizing him with her questions.

"Nicole I'm not mad about sharing you I just don't want him to hurt you." Michael said bleakly.

"You're hurting me!" Nicole screamed losing her what little patience she had.

"Give him a chance. He's a great guy, Eddie, Matt, Mark, Josh, and Thomas would've killed him by now if he wasn't." Nicole said a small brief smile flashing across her lips at the thought.

"That they would." Michael said standing up, "But that still doesn't mean that you're not going to get hurt when you two fall apart."

"If we fall apart dad, **_IF!_**" Nicole said her voice rising slightly as she glanced at the full room mural they had finished the day before, the sheets removed. "Take a look around then decide how well we'll work together."

With that she was gone, out the door and Michael… Michael was alone with his troubling thoughts and the most beautiful painting he had seen in a long time.

The room was covered in unimaginable colors which he bet had something to do with Nicole's inherited talents. It was a fantasy world if ever one had existed. There was even a dragon spanned across the ceiling. It was a glistening blue with green glittered edging. It looked as if any minute it would breathe fire and flap its wings.

The vivid mural encased the entire room from top to bottom. On the far end of the room the wall had a giant garden between two giant trees. He walked over to it and noticed that on some of the wild rain forest like flowers there were tiny paintings of creatures. Pixies.

Below the most beautiful pixie of all was small writing:

"Nicole- The pixie with enough light to bathe the world in brightness."

Michael looked at the pixie… Its hair was in golden ringlets. Her eyes a perfect match for his daughters… the fairy like creature was indeed the most beautiful…

"Hello?" Randy asked with a small yawn as he rolled over his mattress and picked up the telephone.

"Randy?" Michael's rough voice called over the phone line.

"This is he." Randy said instantly awake.

"Got any plans for dinner?" Michael asked.

"Dear God- I know you don't like to meddle with fate, but please don't let her father kill me tonight." With that last request Randy finally mustered up enough courage to knock on the door.

But before his hand could even make contact Michael ripped the door open and caused Randy to take a step backwards onto the porch.

"We need to talk." Michael said as he stepped outside and shut the door behind him.

"Sir?" Randy asked his heart beat all ready slowing from the earlier scare.

Michael gestured to the patio table at the corner of the porch and both he and Randy sat in an awkward silence.

Randy looked up from the tabletop only to see Michael looking him over with skepticism.

"Randy, would you like your job back?" Michael asked, finally, slightly cocking his head to one side.

"Not at the price you're asking. Mr. Guerin, as I told you earlier I care for your daughter a lot, and there is no way I'll give her up." Randy said standing preparing to leave.

"That's all I needed to hear." Michael said and with that he was up and at the front door.

Michael paused a moment without turning around, "You can come back Monday."

Randy stood still as Michael turned to face him. Michael's eyes met Randy's, "And treat her right."

With that Michael was inside and the door was open, a clear invitation.

As soon as Randy was inside a woman who had similar looks as Nicole met him, "I'm glad you could come."

"Me too Mrs. Guerin." Randy said as he placed an award-winning smile on his handsome features.

"Oh, and honey. If you ever have sex with my daughter I will hunt you down and kill you." Maria said a smile still etched on her pretty face.

Randy stood his eyes wide in a frozen position. He wasn't sure what had him stuck to the floor, fear or shock. He glanced again at the retreating form of his girlfriend's mother, fear. It was definitely fear.

As Randy swallowed hard and made his way to the kitchen he began a whole different prayer in his mind.

"Dear God- I know you don't like to meddle with fate, but please don't let her mother kill me…"

The End


	13. Being Overprotective is a Family Trait

-1Title: Being Overprotective is a Family Trait (#13)

Author: Vix

Email: HEE HEE! I'll never tell! (Not a real plot thriller… just something cute that popped into my head)

Disclaimers: I own all the kids… Randy, Vanessa, and Veronica have nothing to do with the WB, or UPN or Melinda Metz.

Rating: pg-13

Category: FC (Future Children series)

"Guy's we have a problem." Mark announced as the last boy to arrive, Josh, sat down in the Crash Down booth.

"Hey guys." Veronica said as she walked up to the table, "What can I get you?"

"Go away." Mark said rolling his eyes.

"I wasn't asking you tweedle Dee, I said 'guys' not twirps." Veronica said rolling her eyes.

"I'll have a Cherry Lime Liquid." Thomas said stifling a laugh at his younger cousin's embarrassment.

"Sounds good." Matt said not tossing the waitress one look.

"I'll have that and a basket of fries." Eddie said licking his lips as the thought of something both high in fat and cholesterol and lacking any inheritable nutritional value filled his mind.

"A CL sounds good." Matt said scanning the restaurant.

"I'll have the same." Josh said gathering up everyone's menus and handing them to the waitress.

"OK, now then, What do you want, Twirp?" Veronica asked not taking her eyes off of her note pad.

"Same thing as the GUYS, kitten!" Matt growled as he glared at her.

"I'll bring it in a bowl so you can lap it up like the dog you are." Veronica said with a fake smile.

"Ouch." Thomas said laughing as Veronica stalked off her long legs taking her to the back area of the restaurant.

"Twins!" Mark said exasperated as he watched Veronica walk away. Her hair shining in the light and her eyes sparkling because of her spirit.

"Tell me about it." Matt agreed as he caught a small glimpse of Vanessa behind the swinging back door.

"Any way Mark, you had an announcement?" Josh asked playing with the sugar packets as he reorganized them in their holder.

"Randy and Nicole." Mark said as if that was reason enough to get into an up roar.

"Yeah, they're dating. What's the big deal?" Thomas asked taping his fingers against to shiny tabletop.

"They're," Mark took a deep breathe and cleared his throat a few times getting ready to finish his sentence but his twin beat him to it.

"In love." Matt said with a shudder.

"When you say in love you…" Eddie began to ask as Veronica sat the orders in the correct places on the table.

"Who's in love?" Veronica asked her eyebrows drawing together.

"None of your business, go away." Mark said glaring at her nosy inquiry.

"Make me." Veronica snapped her head cocking to the side.

"Veronica," Mark said seriously.

"I'm going." Veronica said rolling her eyes and shaking her head slightly before leaving to service the other customers.

"You mean the whole drool over each other lure her into the nail and bail thing?" Eddie asked his hand wrapping around his cup and his knuckles turning white.

"We have no reason to think he'd do that. I mean we all know he's beat like what, three guys up over her? Plus we don't have to worry Uncle Michael won't let him breath when he finds out what's going on." Thomas said before guzzling down half his drink.

"Actually Dad does know." Matt provided more forgotten information.

"So is Golden Toy in a body cast yet?" Josh asked a wicked smile on his face.

"Not exactly." Mark said his facial expression in a frown.

"Not exactly?" Eddie asked not comprehending.

"He's unharmed." Matt said his eyes saddened.

"OK, what exactly happened?" Eddie asked even more confused at the boy's health.

"Dad invited him over for dinner." Mark said signing as if the world made no sense, but then many believed the day Michael Guerin trusted a boy with his daughter was the day the world would crash in on it self.

Josh started to choke on his drink… "He invited him for dinner?" Josh asked as if his ears were deceiving him.

"And he wasn't the main course?" Eddie asked picking up one of the warm fries.

"What kind of sinister force possessed our Uncle?" Thomas asked in all seriousness.

"Nicole." Matt replied with a snort.

"This does demand attention." Eddie said abruptly dropping the fry mid way to his mouth, "And I have a plan."

Four boys looked skeptical as they leaned in towards their cousin.

"I want you to pair up with an offensive player! Run the play from front to back then switch. Can you girls handle that?" The coach yelled out.

"Yes sir!" The mass of defensive players yelled back as they ran over to the assistant coach who was instructing the offensive players.

"Pair yourselves." The assistant coach called as he walked over to the sidelines.

"JACKSON!" Eddie called loudly as he walked over to him, "Partner?"

"Sure." Randy said as they made their way to the very end of the field to run the play.

"I hear Nicole's in love with you." Eddie said casually as they ran down field.

"She is." Randy confirmed as he through a side long questioning glance at Eddie.

"And supposedly you love her back." Eddie said as he began to slow down as they reached the end of the field.

"I do." Randy said turning to start the play.

"You better!" Eddie said as he launched himself at Randy and knocked him to the ground.

"Don't hurt her if you want to live, got it?" Eddie asked mere inches from Randy's helmet.

"Got it." Randy said as he launched himself off the ground to go over the play again.

"Hey Jackson!" Thomas said as he walked over and took a seat beside him in the music classroom.

"Hey Whitman." Randy said looking over at Thomas and then back to his notebook.

"So I hear you and my cousin are in love." Thomas said scooting his desk a little closer so no one else could hear their conversation.

"That we are." Randy said eyeing Thomas wearily; at least this one wasn't going to ram him into the ground.

"That's great." Thomas said a genuine smile on his face.

"Randy, if you hurt her I'll kill you in your sleep." Thomas said his smile still in tact but his eyes held a hard serious edge. Randy had no doubt in his mind that Thomas was telling the truth…

"Jackson we need to have a talk." Mark said as he and his twin brother caught him leaving the cafeteria.

"Yeah?" Randy asked turning around all ready knowing what this little chitchat was about.

"Nicole thinks she's in love. And to our knowledge you think you love her back, are we correct in assuming this and in also assuming that you will never do anything to make her cry, get upset, or hurt?" Matt asked standing on the opposite side of Randy then Mark.

"No you're not. I don't think I'm in love and neither does she. We are in love. We know we are. And yeah she's going to get mad, she's Nicole it's a given." Randy said walking faster as he left the twins behind.

"Hey Randy." Josh said coming up behind him in the Crash Down.

"Not you too! I love Nicole. She loves me! End of story." Randy said clearly annoyed.

"No it's not the end of the story." Josh said sitting across from the jock.

"Nicole loves you and you love her. I got that." Josh said in a calm tone.

"I won't deliberately hurt her." Randy said tapping his fist against the tabletop.

"I believe that too." Josh said not missing a beat.

"Then what do you want to threaten me about?" Randy asked beginning to become confused.

"You don't know everything about Nicole. She has secrets." Josh said his eyes not leaving Randy's.

"We all do." Randy said his eyes trained on Josh's liquid brown spheres.

"Respect hers. If you don't one of you will get hurt and when that happens… when she hurts- you'll hurt. It's inevitable." Josh said in a serious but regretful tone.

"Inevitability was her and me and what we have." Randy said a slight glare in his eyes.

"What can I get you?" Vanessa asked as she came to the booth.

"I'll have a root beer and a Will Smith Burger with some Saturn Rings." Randy said handing the waitress the menu, "Josh, want to join me?"

Josh's eyebrows rose a notch, why would Randy Jackson, the guy he had just threaten, want him to eat with him?

Josh's stomach growled before Josh, himself, could answer, "That's a yes." Randy said laughing.

Josh sat down in front of Randy and began his rather large order.

The End


	14. TwinsTwinsTwinsTwinsand more

Title: Twins… Twins… Twins… and Twins!

Author: Vix

EMail: ask or thou shall feel the wrath of… NICOLE!

Disclaimers: I own Mark, Matt, Nicole, Jim, John, Gavin, Vanessa, Veronica, Jayd, and Safyre… OK that's enough of an ego trip for now- I own everyone except for the originals which are property of UPN, WB, and Melinda Mentz(sp).

Author's note: I went insane--- and this happened.

Rating: PG-13

"Mom they're here!" Nicole yelled as she jumped out of the lounge chair and ran to the front door eager to greet her Aunt Laurie, Uncle Gavin and her cousins.

"Hey!" Maria yelled as she raced out the door right behind her daughter.

As the girls bombarded each other with hugs Michael, Matt, and Mark slowly crept out of the house and stood on the porch watching as one poor tan man was stuck in the whirlwind of female huggers.

"Gavin are you OK?" Michael called out good-naturedly.

"Save me!" He yelled back smirking at him as he received several glares from the women around him.

Suddenly four teens piled out of the explore glad to stretch their legs and put their headphones on pause.

Jim and John were two handsome boys with dirty blonde hair, chocolate brown eyes, and extremely creamy tans inherited from a mix of their mother's skin and their father's obvious Latino background. They wore baggy Jncos and each had a different Metalica shirt on. They smiled at Nicole as she raced toward them her own Metalica shirt on.

"There's our little Metalicaete." Jim said grabbing her around the waist making his arm flexing his defined muscles.

"Pass her over!" John said that as his brother one handily passed his favorite cousin to his twin.

"Iyc! Fyre!" Mark said as he and Matt rounded on their twin cousin's.

Safyre and Jayd were beautiful. They had identical feature and wavy black hair. The only way to tell one from the other was their eyes. Safyre, true to her name, had beautiful dark blue stones as eyes, and Jayd, had eyes that were an inciting green color.

"MARKY! MATTIE!" The girls yelled in unison grabbing the boys close.

"You going to hug me or what?" Laurie asked Michael as she walked up the porch stairs.

Michael obliged quickly as he wrapped his arms protectively around one of his almost sisters.

"Been a while!" Michael said as he let her down and shook her husband's hand.

"You won't believe what Matt and Mark did to their home room teacher." Michael began proudly as he talked to Gavin about his sons' latest mischief.

"Have you met Jim and John? Trust me- I'll believe." Gavin said laughing.

"You kids going to go pick up dinner?" Maria asked from the kitchen.

"Yeah- we're going!" Matt said standing up and yanking at Safyre. Mark followed suit as he grabbed Jayd's hand and drug her off to the old and worn Jetta.

"The Crash hasn't changed much since our last visit." Jayd said sliding her green tinted sunglasses on to match her halter-top as she exited the car.

"We got new waitresses." Mark said as an idea popped into his head.

'Matt!' Mark yelled excitedly to his brother's brain.

'I'm not deaf!' Matt yelled back slightly off focus.

'Wanna make the kitties show their claws?' Mark asked an evil grin appearing on his face.

"Girls." Mark said turning so they couldn't enter the restaurant.

"Yeah?" They asked together.

"Want to help a cousin in need?" Matt asked with puppy dog eyes.

Safyre and Jayd looked at each other… worriedly.

"So you never got to write us about how your mural turned out." John said tucking his headphones behind his ears.

"Want to go take a look?" Nicole asked as she flipped through different designs of John's.

"Let's go!" Jim cried jumping off the bed leaving several of Nicole's oils on the cover.

"Over zealous?" Nicole asked not moving towards the door.

"Not at all!" Jim said as he walked back inside, grabbed Nicole and flung her over his shoulders before exiting - his laughing twin in their wake.

As they bound downstairs their parents began to chuckle at their off springs.

"She'll take us to the mural or we will throw her in the volcano!" Jim announced as he picked the keys up off the table and went to the car unceremoniously dumping her in the passenger seat.

"Save me." John pleaded with his parents as he tailed his kin.

"You're letting him drive?" Nicole asked as John slid in the back seat.

"Scared?" Jim asked cocking an eyebrow.

"Very!" Nicole said quickly bolting herself in with the seat belt.

"Relax." Jim tried to assure her as he turned the car on and went forwards towards the house.

"Opps." Jim said in way of apology as he eyed two extremely pale faces.

"What do you want?" Veronica asked as she eyes the twin in front of her.

"Napkins. Seems you two didn't lick up all your milk at our booth." Mark retorted not bothering to even scowl. Instead he looked… preoccupied.

"Here." Veronica said throwing a towel at his head.

"Thanks." He threw over his shoulder as he walked towards a booth with three other people.

"They're gonna kill us." Matt said shaking his head with a smile as he casually threw his arm around Safyre's shoulder.

"What a way to die." Mark commented his grin widening.

"What a cliché." Jayd said as she leaned into Mark's arms.

"Yeah, yeah." Mark mumbled.

"Can I have my towel back?" Veronica asked as she walked over to the booth her eyes wide.

"Here you go." Jayd said handing her the rag showing off her perfectly manicured jade green nails.

"Thanks." Veronica said snatching it and walking back into the back, but not before giving Mark a death stare.

"Sure this was a good idea?" Matt asked slightly nervous.

"We'll be fine." Mark assured him although he wasn't quite as assured as before.

"Can I take your orders?" Veronica asked as she walked up to them keeping her eyes trained on the notepad in front of her.

"Do you want me to order for you baby?" Mark asked smiling at his cousin like they were a couple.

"You know what I like Marky." Jayd replied tucking her head into the crook of his neck.

"We'll have some MIB pie- to share. One coke and one Cherry Lime Liquid." Mark said smiling at the waitress tauntingly.

"And for you?" Vanessa said walking up behind her sister shocked to see the twins with dates.

"Same, only make the MIB a twister." Matt said forcing himself to ignore Vanessa's look of discomfort.

"Right a way." Vanessa and Veronica coursed before walking to the back.

"They're twins!" Veronica exclaimed with a huff.

"They're gorgeous!" Vanessa whined as she placed her hands on her hips.

"They're toast." Veronica replied an evil twinkle in her eyes.

"You did all this?" John asked whirling around to look the room over for the hundredth time.

Nicole smiled as she shook her head no.

"This is beautiful!" Jim said as he picked Nicole up and spun her around not setting her down even though she continuously squealed in his ears.

Randy's fists tightened by his sides as he watched a boy hold Nicole to himself despite her attempts to be set free.

Suddenly a boy identical to the first took her and held her even higher.

"What do you think you're doing?" Randy asked shoving through the doors and quickly walking to the man who held his girlfriend captive.

"Who do you think you are?" John asked as he and his brother set Nicole down and stood protectively in front of her. They were at lest three inches taller than their opponent.

"Her boyfriend." Randy said walking even closer bowing up as he did so.

"You going to come through us to get her?" John asked looking threateningly down at Randy.

"Damn right I will." Randy said not intimidated at all.

"Welcome to the family." Jim said as he smiled along with John.

Randy looked confused as they parted and Nicole jumped on him kissing him passionately.

"EW!" The twins coursed.

"I'm confused." Randy said when Nicole finally let him breathe.

"Jim and John, meet Randy Jackson, or as you know him- Golden Toy. Randy meet my cousins Jim and John."

"GOLDEN TOY?" Jim and John asked their eyes wide.

"Golden Toy?" John asked again as if it was too hard to believe that two complete enemies could fall head over heels for each other… yeah- too hard to believe.

"Yep." Nicole said smiling as she kissed him again.

"Nice to meet you." Randy said as he shook the twins' hands.

John and Jim shook hands before looking at each other.

"Grub?" John asked.

"Grub." Jim agreed.

They both looked expectantly at Nicole and her boyfriend.

"Crash." Nicole said as she turned towards the doors dragging her Golden Toy with her.

"Is all your family like that?" Randy whispered the question into her ear.

"You have no idea." Nicole repeated; a huge grin on her face.

"Oh my God. I am so sorry I didn't mean to spill it on you I swear!" Vanessa cried out as she tried to help Matt clean his shirt off.

"Don't worry about it. I think he looks good wet." Safyre said giggling with Matt.

Vanessa repressed a small growl as she walked back into the kitchen where her sister was no doubt watching.

"Jealous much?" Jayd asked with a real laugh.

"Obviously." Safyre agreed smiling at the thought of the girls and her cousins together.

The over head bell jingled as Nicole, Randy, John, and Jim entered and set by the door.

"Looks like your brother's have dates." Randy commented as he gestured towards the front where they were seated.

"Gross! Those are our cousins. Jayd and Safyre." Nicole said making a face.

"How many sets of twins do you have in your family?" Randy asked slightly exasperated.

They all laughed excluding him, "Too many."

"Well why don't we go say hi?" Randy asked again wanting to meet more of Nicole's family.

"They don't want us to." Nicole said shortly.

"And you know this how?" Randy asked curiously.

Nicole froze… she never had to explain this part to anyone. She could feel their feelings to an extent… how did you explain that to a human who doesn't know aliens even exist?

"They would have motioned us over." John said easily.

"Our turn." Veronica said as she tugged at her sister's sleeve and lead her over to Nicole's table.

Mark and Matt leaned over the side to watch.

"What can we get you?" Vanessa asked sweetly smiling flirtatiously at John and Jim.

The boys smiled back, "What do you have?"

"OH MY GOD!" Mark grumbled underneath his breathe.

"They're doing this to get back at us." Matt said rationally as he played with his fork, "We just need to admit that we were trying to make the jealous and get it over with."

"We're not doing anything that stupid!" Mark hissed immediately.

"Would you rather them getting together with our cousins?" Matt asked exasperated.

"Hey! Kittens!" Mark barked loudly silencing the entire café.

"That's nice and barbaric!" Jayd hissed at her cousin.

"If you'd excuse us we'll be right back." Veronica said through gritted teeth.

"Can we help you?" Vanessa asked kindly as she could manage.

"Jayd, Safyre, I'd like you to formally meet Vanessa and Veronica Martin. Kitties these are our cousins Jayd and Safyre." Matt said calmly as he gestured to everyone.

"It's nice to meet you." Jayd and Safyre said as they shook the other females' hands.

"We see you've meet Jim and John, our brothers." Jayd said as she forced Mark out of the booth, "We're just going to go join them and let you four have a nice long talk."

"Cousins?" Veronica asked eyeing Mark her eyes wide and lit a blaze.

"We just wanted to see your claws." Mark said coolly shrugging his shoulders.

Matt instinctively ducked at his brother's comment; lucky he did because at that moment two hands swooped down and smacked the back of his brother's head; the other barely missing his.

"I was against it!" Matt said as Vanessa reared her hand back yet again.

"Sure you were." Vanessa said crossing her arms defiantly.

"Let me take you out to dinner, out of alienville?" Matt asked knowing Vanessa's easiest weak spot.

"I'll get back to you." Vanessa said barely able to contain her smile.

"In the mean time let's go see what Jim and John need." Veronica said as she spun around only to be pulled into the booth by Mark, who was now holding her on his lap.

"No." Mark whispered into her ear making her shiver.

"No?" Veronica asked defiantly.

"No." Mark said shaking his head laughing- electing a laugh from the others.

"And why not?" Veronica asked not amused… outwardly amused anyway.

"Too many twins!" Mark said glancing at his mobile cousins then back to the beauty in front of him.

"You can say that again." Randy said as he gazed bewilderedly at the four sets of twins that sat in front of him… wonders would never cease.

The End


	15. We Are Family

Title: We are Family (#15)

Author: Vix

Email: PG-13 (Abuse)

Category: FC

Dedication: To my 'oh so patient' fans that will hopefully not behead me for the lateness.

Distribution: If you want it ask… or else I'll sick Mark and Matt on you! 0)

Disclaimers: I own every single kid! MINE MINE MINE… The adults are the UPN/WB/Melinda Mentz(sp) property. This is for entertainment purposes only.

Thomas looked around the hall searching for his cousins. Instead his eyes briefly caught Jenny Selle's as she walked, alone, down the hallway towards the cafeteria.

Instead of calling out, for he knew she wouldn't respond, he settled for a small nod that only she would notice.

In return she smiled a little more and did the same.

Thomas watched her walk away… something was wrong. Her eyes had circles under them. They always had but now they were getting even worse and Thomas didn't even want to think why… but his mind never obeyed him, his visions came back as did her nightmares and even his own.

Before he could stop himself he turned around and threw his fist into the locker as hard as he could. Nicole, Eddie, and Josh raced up to him as his fist sliced through the locker.

"Great job Rambo!" Nicole hissed as she helped him remove his hand from the metal. Josh healed his cousin's hand as Eddie fixed the locker.

"I can't stay here… I don't feel good. I think I'm sick." Thomas mumbled as he began to walk away.

"Thomas, we don't get sick." Josh called over to his cousin before he could walk away.

Surprisingly this didn't stop Thomas Whitman, he didn't even hear it he just kept walking, and he walked right out of the school and eventually into the desert.

He glanced around, it was dark now. He checked his watch: 8:30 P.M. He had walked for over six hours his mind in total Chaos. Had it not been for his wonderful Alien side he would have been able to, but then again if it wasn't for his alien powers he wouldn't have to. His mind wouldn't be jumbled as it was now. His thoughts wouldn't revert back to those horrible thoughts every five seconds if he were human…

He sat down on a near by rock and pulled out his cell-phone to call his mom, who was probably hysterical. He turned it on and dialed.

"Thomas, where in the world are you?" Isabel asked her voice sharp as she picked up.

"The desert." Thomas offered awaiting the first serious blow.

"You ditched two classes for the desert?" Isabel asked her voice slightly higher.

"I just wanted to tell you where I was so you wouldn't worry." He said getting ready to hang up.

"It's a little late for that," Isabel spat out her anger clear, "Get home as soon as you can. We have to talk."

Thomas hung the phone up and put it back in his baggy jeans. Going home would be certain death. He slowly lowered himself to a rock and brought out a picture of Jenny he had cut from the yearbook.

He slowly made a connection trying to get into her head. Just to see what she was doing. Suddenly he was bombarded with her thoughts and senses.

Alcohol… the smell was so strong it made him want to gag. The scene before had the same effect.

Thomas's eyes raced around the sight that lay before him. Jenny was coward between her wall and her dresser. Her face marred by a quickly forming bruise across her cheek. Her eyes were red and blood shot. Her lips slightly swollen.

His fist clenched at his side. Anger began to pump through his veins. He couldn't even believe…

At that moment a drunken Mr. Selle stumbled into Jenny's room, breaking the lock. He set his beer bottle down on Jenny's stand and walked out side of the room to find something. When he came back he had a leather belt in his hand.

Jenny cringed as he opened his mouth, "Jenny, honey, you have to come out and take your punishment like a grownup. I wouldn't do this if you wouldn't make me."

Jenny tried as hard as she could to curl into a little ball and die.

"Jenny, you did this to us, to your self, to your mother. You killed your mother. It's your fault, and now I'm going to discipline you! Get your sorry ass out here you little whore!" He screamed.

"Dad, go to bed. You've had too much to drink." Jenny croaked out as she pulled her knees tighter to her chest burying her head in her knees after the words left her soon to be swollen lips.

"You don't tell me what to do!" Her father screamed as he walked towards her belt lifted above his head ready to swing.

When the belt made contact Thomas felt it. He was shoved back into his own consciousness. He opened his eyes and took deep breaths. It had felt as through the belt had hit him.

He slowly raised his hand and reached towards the spot that was pulsing on his back. He clenched his teeth when his hand made contact with the sore flesh… it had hit him.

Suddenly Thomas realized that he had gotten a small, extremely diluted dosage of what Jenny had, and that Jenny, at that moment, was getting beaten with a belt by a man who deserved it more than anyone else.

Thomas then did something he had never before done; he hit his knees and threw up. He was truly sick… sickened to the core.

Thomas wiped his mouth as he stood up… he could barely think straight. All he knew was that he had to get Jenny out of there and soon.

Thomas picked up his cell phone and called home.

"Mom," Thomas said as soon as Isabel picked up, he knew it was her, he could feel it.

"Thomas, what happened? Are you all right? I feel so much anger and pain… what happened?" Isabel's frantic voice cracked over the phone.

"Come and get me, I'm still in the desert. You can feel me." With that Thomas hung up the phone and sat back down, pulling out the picture in his pocket.

He could not only feel his emotions, and his mothers, but he could feel Jenny's too. She was so scared. She was so angry and hurting so much. Thomas was happy that he couldn't feel her physical pain. He didn't know what he would do to that man if he was aware of how bad he was hurting Jenny right now. He had to stay out of prison or a science lab to help her… but if he saw her father any where private, ever…

Suddenly Isabel's headlights came into view as she slammed on her breaks mere feet away from Thomas.

"Explain." Isabel demanded as she jumped out of the car and threw her arms around him.

"Mom I'm fine. It's one of my friends I have to help. She…" Thomas began as his father came up beside him.

"We'll talk about it as soon as we get home." Alex said wrapping an arm around his son and guiding him towards the car.

"OK, Thomas you said you had to help a friend, right?" Alex asked as he started a pot of coffee.

"There's this girl at school, Jenny Selle. We worked on a project together a while back." Thomas began searching for any recognition on their faces.

Once his mom nodded he went on, "Remember the one and only time I have came in after curfew? I was walking her home."

Isabel began to open her mouth to ask something but Thomas silenced her with a hand in mid-air, "On the way to her house we stopped in the park to warm up a little. I made a small connection to her wanting to get her warmer. When I did that I got a flash of her standing in a mirror with all these bruises on her body. And then, in the flashes, I saw her father holding a beer bottle. After I got home I went into her dream and it wasn't good. Her father that bastard, he hurts her."

"Thomas." Isabel said standing up going to comfort him.

"Don't touch me." Thomas warned his voice loud as he jumped back.

Isabel looked hurt by her son's movements and words, "I'm sorry mom, I just don't want you to make a connection to me on accident."

"What happened in the desert? I felt this wave of pain… and nausea." Isabel said sitting back down next to her husband.

"Today at school I saw Jenny walking by and the circles under her eyes were worse than usual. That made me start thinking about all of her nightmares, in the dream world and in reality… then mine. I just couldn't take it. I snapped. I broke a locker by punching it. Nicki fixed the locker, and Josh took care of my hand. I couldn't stick around so I started walking. Some where along my walk I went to the desert and it got dark. I tried to get inside her head, you know, to see what was going on." Thomas started to explain as his fist clenched and unclenched with his jaw.

"When I finally got in she was huddled in a corner in her room hiding from her father. He had already hit her at least twice. Her cheek was beginning to bruise and her lip looked swollen. He came to her room, beer and leather belt in hand." Thomas had to take a few deep breaths to continue.

"Oh my God." Isabel said as she tried to imagine what that poor girl was going through.

"It gets worse," Thomas said with a sardonic smile on his face, "He hit her with the belt. When I say hit her he hit her hard. I was connected and I felt it and… Let me show you."

Thomas pulled up his shirt positive that there would be a mark.

"That bastard. Where is he?" Alex growled as he looked at his son's back. He had kept quite, waiting for everything to be out on the table before interrupting… but that stupid son of a bitch hit his son.

"Dad, I got this through a connection." Thomas said trying to get his point to sink in.

"That poor girl, he probably broke a bone." Isabel mused to herself as she rested her head on her hands.

"We've got to get her out of there." Thomas said his eyes firm and his jaw set.

"But how? What could we do? Where would she go? Does she have family?" Isabel's questions just started flowing out of her mouth.

"Uncle Michael got emancipated…" Thomas suggested.

"I suppose we could try, but she'd have to do it willingly. She'd have to admit that he beat her." Isabel began jumbled thoughts pouring into her brain and out of her mouth.

"I can take care of that." Thomas said as he walked towards the front door.

"Thomas! What are you going to do tonight?" Isabel asked shooting up from her chair.

"I don't know but I have to do something." Thomas said turning to face his mother, "I was so angry, and so upset, that I did something that I've never done before, I got sick and threw up. I have never been this mad or this determined. I can feel her pain mom. I try keeping it at bay but ever so often it gets too strong. Her pain, and anger and deep sadness. I can't leave her there with him all night. By morning there might not be a Jenny… there might just be a corpse."

Thomas spun on his heel and grabbed the keys off the key ring holder before slamming the door.

Isabel put her hands over her face as she felt Alex's arms wrap around her.

"What are we going to do?" Isabel asked as she turned in his arms burying her head into his shoulder.

"Whatever it takes." Alex offered holding her close, "He'll be OK. He has your power and my smarts. He'll fix it as best it can be. We have to trust him."

"It's not him I don't trust." Isabel sniffled.

Thomas examined Jenny's window, there wasn't any light coming from it. He thought of throwing a rock but he didn't want to alert her father, but he still had his school clothes on, and blood was never easy to remove.

He decided it was the best bet to climb the trash cans and use a little extraterrestrial skill to jump up and grab her window.

Thomas stepped up on the first trash can and landed right back on the ground… trash cans might not be the best idea.

He decided he'd shimmy the tree… now exactly how did one shimmy? To top it off ever sense he had 'gotten in touch with nature' that one fateful Saturday morning he wasn't a real big tree hugging kind of guy…er…alien.

Suddenly he felt a great ache come over him… he had never felt so empty in his entire life… he had to get up there, and now.

His hands burned as he took the final steps to her window seal. Now that he was eye level with the window he could see that his original assumption was wrong, there was light. There was a faint glow of a candle and a crying Jenny Selle on her bed.

Thomas reached out and pushed the window up slowly, to his surprise it wasn't locked. As he began to hoist himself up Jenny rolled over scaring him and herself.

She opened her mouth to scream but Thomas stopped her, "Jenny it's me. Thomas Whitman."

Jenny looked at him and moved backward in her bed making sure he couldn't see her.

"Thomas right now isn't a good time. Go home. We'll talk later." Her voice was slightly wavy due to the tightness in her throat.

"Jenny." Thomas continued paying no never mind to her request.

He fell through the window more than climbed. He quickly stood up and walked towards her bed, sitting down beside her, "Jenny, are you OK?"

"Leave. I'll call my dad, the cops! Leave." Jenny hissed quietly as though not wanting to wake anyone.

"Jenny, I can see the bruises." Thomas said his hand resting on the side of her neck, where it looked to be a normal shade of skin. He gently turned her face from side to side examining best he could in the rather faint light. A tear ran down from the corner of her eye and shimmered in the candlelight.

"Come on." Thomas ordered as he stood up releasing her face.

"What? No! Where?" Jenny asked drawing the covers around her tighter.

"Jenny, if you can tell me you didn't get those bruises from your dad then you can stay here. And I'll leave. If you can't I'm taking you to my house and you're going to stay there." Thomas said his voice gentle to her ears but firm.

"Thomas, what makes you think my father did this?" Jenny asked her voice the complete opposite of Thomas'. It wasn't gentle or smooth it was ragged and raw. Her tone was not steady.

"Jenny," Thomas said looking down at her, "you can't lie to me. I won't let you."

"Thomas I can't leave. If he wakes up and I'm not here it'll just be worse when I come back." Jenny pleaded; fear embedded deep down in her voice and obviously heart.

"I won't let him hurt you." Thomas said firmly.

"You're not strong enough to stop him. He's my guardian I'll have to come back." Jenny said all possible scenarios running through her head.

"I won't let him hurt you." Thomas repeated holding out his hand to her.

She looked towards the door and caught a flash of her face in the mirror… she took his hand and he helped her out of the bed. She wore baggy sweats and a long sleeve shirt.

"Thomas, I need clothes and stuff." Jenny said walking towards her bathroom.

Thomas caught her arm making her wince, "Sorry." Thomas said as he retracted his arm quickly

"It's OK." Jenny said blinking back tears.

"We don't have to worry about that. We have to get out of here and quick." Thomas said looking from the window back to her.

"We could use the front door, if he's passed out." She said as she slowly crept towards the door.

"Jenny!" Thomas hissed as he walked fast enough to cut her off. "Let me go first."

Jenny didn't argue she just followed him and said a little prayer for both of them as he opened the door.

Jenny's dad sat half way down the hall in his room with the TV on, "Thought I told you to stay in your room!"

Thomas quickly shut the door and bolted across the room to the window. Putting one foot through it and onto a branch of the tree, "Plan B."

Jenny looked fearfully at the ground and then at Thomas, "I'm not a climber."

"I'm not a knight in shining armor, we're both winging it here." Thomas said holding his arms out for her as she put her first leg by Thomas's.

"OK, pull your other leg through and I'll hold you while you get a grip on the tree and stand up.

"Huh?" Jenny asked panic coming to her voice.

Thomas helped her step by step, her muscles and other body parts aching step by tedious step.

"Now?" Jenny asked as they reached the last branch they were able to climb down.

"Jump." Thomas said as he leapt off the tree and landed on the ground.

"That's a seven foot drop Thomas." Jenny protested her nails trying to dig into the tree.

"Get on my shoulders." Thomas said backing up to the tree.

Jenny didn't look very sure but she climbed on never the less.

As soon as she was on she was off again as Thomas dropped her gently to the ground.

"Now we walk to my house." Thomas said as he began to walk along the road Jenny not following.

"Come on." Thomas said turning around. He reached out to grab her arm but stopped himself half way, remembering what happened last time.

Jenny saw his hesitation and was slightly relieved, she didn't know if she could handle anyone touching her at the moment.

Thomas read her like an open book, her eyes and intense emotions making it easy, "Let's go."

Thomas waited as she began to walk her steps slowly and concentrated. There was no telling what kind of shape her legs were in due to her father's drunken adventures.

"If you need me to carry you, I can." Thomas offered, as he looked her in the eye. His voice was smooth and strong.

Jenny didn't want to be touched but the pain in her legs was making walking a non-possibility. She nodded her head.

"You're going to have to tell me whether or not there's a bruise where my hands and arms are, OK?" Thomas asked as if she were a child.

She bit her lip as he bent over and placed his hands behind her knees. She clenched her eyes tighter. Next he placed his arm even with her shoulder blade. She felt her teeth rip into her lip… once again tonight blood seeped into her mouth.

"Are you OK?" Thomas asked truly concerned.

"Let's just go." Were Jenny's only words. It hurt to have pressure applied to her body but it felt good to have him touch her… she knew that he would never hurt her… not like her dad had hurt her… her mother…

She began to cry quietly, her head tucked into the crook of his neck.

"You want to talk?" Thomas asked nuzzling her head with his as best he could.

"No." she whispered into his ear trying to desperately wipe her eyes and his glistening skin.

"It's OK don't worry about it I've been cried on before." Thomas said trying to reassure her and make her comfortable, if that was even possible.

"Could you talk?" Jenny asked the warmth of his breath and smooth tone of his voice a lullaby to her ears.

"Yeah, I believe I could." Thomas said smiling as she buried her face back into his neck, her deep breathing warm against his flesh.

"Let's see… what would you like to know? How about how I won my first little league game? I didn't win it everyone else on my team did. I was the only person on the team to drop every ball or completely miss it, I struck out every time I went up to bat, and when I would throw the ball it would miss my target by at least half the ball field. I almost lost the game for us. My try at basketball was just as bad if not worse. Safe in the knowledge that I'm not good at contact sports kept me from risking my life and trying out for football. The only thing I even remotely physically excel at is Dodge ball, which I inherited from my dad." Thomas started to drone on and on plenty of thought's filling his head.

As it neared midnight they neared Thomas's house.

"Jenny, are you asleep?" Thomas asked as he felt the even breaths on his neck.

"No." She said her voice quite.

"We're here." Thomas said as he reached the front door. It automatically swung open and Isabel helped them through the door.

"I'm going to take her upstairs to my room and get her ready for bed." Thomas said as he walked towards the stairs.

"No, bring her into my bathroom. I can help minimize the bruises." Isabel commanded as she blocked the stairway.

Thomas obediently walked into her bathroom and sat Jenny down on the edge of the large bathtub, the hard material painful against her tender legs.

"Go into the kitchen." Isabel said as she pushed Thomas out of the bathroom and turned to Jenny.

"Hi, I'm Mrs. Whitman, you can call me Isabel." Isabel moved over to the counter and removed all of the first aid kits she had rounded up when Thomas had left.

"Mrs. Whitman…" Jenny began her voice wavered.

"Jenny, let me help you. That's all I want to do." Isabel said as she turned to look her in the eyes.

"Take off your sweat pants." Isabel said as she set out and ordinary bottle of lotion on the surface near Jenny.

"What's that for?" Jenny asked as she stood up and did as told.

"It's minimize the bruises and help ease your muscles." Isabel lied as she took in Jenny's legs. They were mostly purple and big welts were forming on her calves… definitely a belt.

"Why don't you tell me what happened while I fix you up?" Isabel asked as she sat in front of the girl and carefully picked up one of her legs and set it on her own, lotion in hand.

"You won't believe the whole- fell down the stairs excuse?" Jenny joked, "I'm sorry Mrs. Whitman but right now it's a lot for me to take in that I'm even here. I would really rather not talk about this."

"I can understand that." Isabel said giving her an understanding motherly smile as she ran her hands up and down Jenny's legs, unnaturally healing some of the bruises and muscles.

"Better?" Isabel asked as she finished the legs.

"Yes ma'am." Jenny said her eyes slightly off focus.

"Would you mind taking off your shirt so I can do your arms and back?" Isabel asked as she went to fetch Jenny her pants to slip on.

"No ma'am." Jenny said as she lifted the material over her head.

Isabel inwardly cringed when she saw Jenny's back. If her legs were bad her back was hell on flesh. Her entire back was swollen with red and blue marks.

"Jenny," Isabel said as she gently worked her 'magic' on her back.

"Yes?" Jenny asked as she tried to not focus on the pain.

"Whoever did this to you can't reach you here." Isabel said as she moved on to the lower back.

Jenny stayed silent as Isabel moved on to her arms, "We won't let them."

"That's what Thomas said." Jenny commented as Isabel handed her the shirt.

"That boy, I don't know what to do with him half the time." Isabel said a proud motherly smile came to her face.

"Let me see your face." Isabel commanded softly as she brought out some band aids and more lotion.

After bandaging her Isabel stood up and went into her room commanding her to stay put. She came back with a pair of pajamas in hand.

"These might be more comfortable for you. We keep it pretty warm so those might be a bit much." Isabel said as she handed her the clothe and excused herself.

"She OK?" Alex asked as he handed his son a glass of Tabasco Coffee.

"No." Thomas said his eyes trained on the counter top as he plopped down in a chair.

"What about you?" Alex asked his eyes held deep concern.

"I don't think I have ever wanted to cause one person that much pain in my entire life." Thomas said sipping the liquid slowly.

"We'll fix it." Alex said placing a hand on his son's back, "You did what was right, and I'm very proud of you. You're shaping into such a great person."

"Thank you." Thomas said looking at his mug then back to his father.

"I'm going to take her up to my room to sleep. I'm going to sleep in there with her if that's OK. I don't think she should be alone. Not right now." Thomas said standing as his mother walked into the room.

"The patient should feel better tomorrow." Isabel announced as she wrapped her arms around her son hugging him close.

"Is it OK if we skip school tomorrow? It's Friday." Thomas asked as he hugged his mother back.

"Don't worry about any of that just go get her and go rest." Alex instructed him as he too hugged his son.

Thomas knocked on the door lightly.

"Come in." Jenny called as she turned her head towards the door.

"Hey. You feel better?" Thomas asked as he opened the door to find her clad in his mother's pajamas.

"Kind of." Jenny admitted as she managed a small smile.

"Are you thirsty or hungry or…" Thomas began to ask.

"Tired." Jenny offered truthfully.

"Can you walk up the stairs or would you rather me carry you?" Thomas asked.

"Would you mind?" Jenny asked.

"Never." Thomas was beside her in an instant. His parents made themselves scares as he walked towards his room, try to make Jenny as comfortable as possible. And some how avoiding awkwardness seemed like a good idea.

He slowly laid her down on his bed as he moved back reaching for the light switch. He walked towards his dresser pulling out a pair of night pants and a wife beater.

"I'm going to take a shower really quick." Thomas said standing back up and turning towards her, "If you need anything at all just call my mom or dad. They'll be up for a while and they won't mind at all. It won't take too long. Feel free to get comfortable or even zonk out."

Jenny nodded her head slowly.

Thomas smiled at her before he made his way into the bathroom.

Jenny looked around the room. An array of candles littered his desk next to the bed. She slowly stood up and carefully walked over to the desk looking for matches or even a lighter.

She found a full box of matches in a drawer on top of several notebooks. She lit the candles and picked up one of the notebooks reading the first line: "Hide within my self. Screaming to be freed. Still held at bay are you my sweet release?"

She picked up the one underneath it and carefully walked towards the door, shutting it and turning off the light. She then took small steps until she sat down on the bed, her muscles aching even more than before.

She pulled the covers back and nestled under them careful not to put too much on her legs. She leaned back into the pillows and started to flip through the pages reading them.

She came to a page and stopped. Rereading several times until the page became blurred by her tears.

"From a time unknown you have been shown

My dreams forever true

I seek beauty from within

I find you

You have hidden yourself ever well

But one can't hide from your spell

A deep sadness has saturated your soul

But joy is a song I shall use to Lul.

You've been caught in a web of despair

From that position you shall be free

I swear

Light will shine once you are mine

A truth from which none can hide

When the shall be twined with my side."

Thomas came out of the bathroom dressed in flannel night pants and a white wife beater, "Whatcha' readin'?"

"Your poems." She said closing the notebook and wiping at her eyes.

"I didn't know they were that good." Thomas said taking the notebooks and setting them on his desk.

"Where are you staying tonight?" Jenny asked trying to change the subject.

"On the floor." Thomas said as he walked to the door and disappeared into the hallway.

He soon returned with a bundle under his arms consisting of a pillow, two blankets, and a sheet. He set the blankets down leaving one laid out and the other to the side. He hazardously threw the pillow down, laid the sheet down, next he placed the last blanket over the 'pallet'.

"You're sleeping on the floor? Wouldn't the bed be better or even the couch at the worst?" Jenny asked trying to sit up.

"Stay down." Thomas commanded firmly as he gently pushed her towards the mattress, "I'm not leaving you alone tonight and there is no way I'm letting you sleep anywhere other than in a bed."

"I'm too beat to argue." Jenny said not realizing the words' true meaning until they escaped her mouth.

Thomas was quite for a moment his eyes off focus and his teeth clenched. He slowly calmed the muscles in his jaw, "Would you like me to do anything before we go to sleep?"

"Yeah," Jenny said scooting over slightly, "I'd like you to sit here and talk to me."

Thomas nodded his head obligingly as he sat down beside her stiff as a board.

"So that corpse thing, it's comfortable?" She asked mocking him from a memory.

Thomas smiled as he laid down parallel to her, "So what do you want to talk about?" Thomas asks as he reached across Jenny and grabbed a pillow to elevate his head, which was facing her.

"Anything." Jenny said as she snuggled under the covers.

"I don't think there's anything left to tell after all the talking I did carrying you here." Thomas said shrugging his shoulder slightly.

"Thank you for carrying me, and bringing me here." Jenny said her eyes misted over.

"If you don't mind me asking, what happened?" Thomas asked cautiously.

Jenny swallowed hard; she didn't want to tell him. She didn't want to talk about it… not yet.

"You sure you're out of stories?" Jenny asked attempting a weak smile that died.

Thomas brought his hand up and gently stroked her hair before speaking, "Well there was this one time, at the public pool. My cousins and I were swimming. Well, Josh couldn't swim, not that it stopped us from pushing him in…"

Thomas watched her features in the dancing candlelight. The slow in takes of oxygen as she breathed were calming. He slowly ran his hand through her hair convincing him self she was there and that she was really out of harms way.

He brought his hand to his side as he slowly crawled out of the bed. Lying down on the floor beside the bed. She was close enough for him. She wasn't a foot away but an inch more would even be testing the limits for him at the moment.

He didn't know what he was going to do about her. He wasn't exactly sure how he was going to keep her father away… away for now- yes… but not forever.

Thomas slowly closed his eyes as the candles around him flickered then died.

Thomas awoke to the alarm clock he had forgotten to turn off. Before it could wake Jenny he discreetly glared at it proficiently silencing it.

He slowly pushed himself off the ground and walked to the bathroom a rather unpleasant, yet familiar morning taste lurking in his mouth.

He exited the bathroom to find his 'pallet' completely gone. Mom was up. And cleaning… not a good combination. Thomas walked to the doorway and slowly stuck his head out looking about for any sign of his mom.

There was none so with great precaution he continued down the hall. Checking the stairway as he crept the rest of the way to the kitchen; where he found his father asleep in his bowl of fruit loops.

"Dad." Thomas hissed at his father as he made his way to the counter, the kitchen floor sparkling beneath his feet.

Alex made a gurgling noise as his head popped out of his breakfast.

"Hey son." Alex said as he wiped at his face with the hem of his shirt.

"You know, most people sleep in bed, not food." Thomas said opening the refrigerator searching for the milk and Tabasco sauce.

"Yeah and most people don't have to sleep with your mother either. She was twisting and turning all night. She finally gave up on sleeping around four this morning and has been cleaning ever since." Alex said shaking his head visibly worried.

"She's a neat freak." Thomas said as he got a bowl out of the cupboard.

"Yeah, well she's been doing it the human way." Alex said his eyebrows brought together.

"That's what I figured." Thomas said as he mixed the cereal with the liquid before putting everything away and taking out a spoon.

"So," Alex said looking at his son, "How's Jenny?"

"Asleep." Thomas said sitting down across from his dad.

"Your mom is trying to figure out a way to help her. She's all wound up. It's like your Uncle Michael all over again to her." Alex tried to explain as he stood up to get a cup of coffee.

Suddenly there was laughing from upstairs before Isabel made an appearance.

"Jenny is starving so I'm going to make some pancakes, eggs, bacon, and biscuits. You guys want anything?" Isabel asked smiling a little.

"Dad might need a new breakfast." Thomas said his eyes trained on his mother's smile… fake. It was hard to tell when Isabel had a real smile or a fake one.

Isabel set to work as she riffled through the refrigerator.

"Mom," Thomas addressed her as he walked towards the island, hopping up on it.

"Yeah?" She asked now searching for a pan to fry the bacon.

"Have you figured out what we're going to do?" He asked his eyes searching for something… anything of reassurance.

"For today yes." Isabel said her smile fading, "You," Isabel began poking him in the chest, " are going to school, with an excuse for why you weren't there all day yesterday. You're going to get homework for Jenny, your dad is going to work, and I… I am going to figure out a plan with Jenny."

"Do I really have to go to school?" Thomas asked bummed out.

"Yes," Isabel said some of her smile returning, "And don't mention anything to your cousins, please."

"Then what am I going to tell them? I told them I was feeling sick yesterday and I think since we're all 'alike' they're going to figure out I was lying." Thomas said his voice getting higher as he but literal bunny ears in the air when he said alike.

"Tell them I said they'll find out later and not to press the matter." Isabel said turning back to her cooking mission.

"Yes Ma'am." Thomas said going back to his breakfast.

"Good morning." Thomas said as he walked into his bedroom finding Jenny still in bed clutching his Robert Frost poetry book.

"See you've found our favorite man." Thomas said gesturing to the cover.

"I have." She said smiling as she greeted him with a small wave.

"Mother dearest said that I have to suffer through a whole day at school while you get to relax in my bed." Thomas said pretending to sulk all the way to his closet, "I don't think I have ever envied someone so much."

Jenny stuck her tongue out at him jokingly as he threw a pair of baggy blue jeans and a black Save Ferris tee shirt on the bed by her feet.

"Nice apparel." She said shaking her head in disapproval.

"Some of us like looking like high-school rejects." Thomas said nodding his head vigorously.

"Could you throw me that shirt?" Jenny asked pointing to flannel over shirt in his closet.

Thomas went back to his closet and picked the warm blue shirt off its hanger and handed it to her.

"I'm not wearing that." He protested instantly.

"I wasn't going to make you." Jenny said feeling the material under her hands, "May I?"

"Yeah. You can basically use anything out of here you want." He said gesturing to his closet and dresser.

"Thank you." She said as he gathered his clothes and went into the bathroom to change.

As Thomas exited he found Jenny standing beside the bathroom door.

"Are you sure you should be walking?" Thomas asked his eyes concerned as he went to grab her, ready to pick her up if need be.

"I'm feeling a lot better than I usually do after one of his… Your mom's massage last night really helped ease the pain and stiffness." Jenny said her voice not as steady as she wished it was.

"Jenny I…" Thomas began trying to organize his thoughts.

"Can I take a shower in here?" She asked looking into his eyes silently willing him to not ask any questions… not yet…

"Yeah, of course." Thomas said making his way back into the bathroom to show her where everything was.

"You're going be late!" Isabel said into the unusually silent room.

To her surprise the room was empty, and the shower was going. She walked out of her son's room and walked down the hallway towards the guest room, and there in the dark sat her son his elbows on his knees and his head bent to rest on his fists. Obviously trying to think.

"Hey." Thomas called out feeling his mother enter the area around him.

"How are you?" Isabel asked sitting beside him.

"Not good." Thomas said leaning back into his mother.

"Worried?" Isabel asked taking an aura check. Such mayhem didn't belong on a teenager's mind.

"Worried, anxious, and happy." Thomas said trying to categorize all his feelings, "Worried that she'll have to go back, anxious to see what happens, and happy that, even if it's just for the moment, she's not there. She not with that…" Thomas wisely stopped himself before he could say something to offend his mother.

"I have plenty of names for him too, you know?" Isabel asked wrapping her arms around his shoulders holding him tight, "I'll take care of her while you're gone. If anything happens you'll know."

"And if he comes for her, or calls the police?" Thomas asked pessimistically.

"He doesn't know where she is, but, if he comes I'll deal with him. If he calls the police, Kyle and I will deal with him." Isabel said patting his chest reassuringly before willing him to his feet, to face another day at West Roswell High, with a burden set upon his shoulders.

"Have fun honey." Isabel said giving Alex a kiss on the cheek as he stepped out the front door and shut it behind him.

"Mrs. Whitman?" Jenny asked as she slowly descended the stairs; the aroma of foods calling her from Thomas's bed.

"Jenny, I could have just brought the food up to you." Isabel said in a motherly tone as she hurried over to Jenny's side to help her down the stairs taking notice of her son's shirt and a pair of his old shorts.

"It's OK. I can walk a little better now." She said running a hand through her wet hair.

"How do you feel?" Isabel asked as she looked her over.

"There's no permanent damage." Jenny said with a shrug.

"Not physically anyway." Isabel grumbled under her breath.

"What's for breakfast?" Jenny asked as she looked toward the kitchen.

"Come find out." Isabel said smiling as she walked with Jenny into the kitchen where there was food everywhere.

"We have eggs, bagels, toast, biscuits, eggs in a basket, pancakes, monkey bread, sausage, and bacon." Isabel counted off all the foods littering the kitchen table, save for two eating areas for her and Jenny.

"You didn't have to fix that much Mrs. Whitman." Jenny said her eyes exceptionally large, "We can't eat that much."

"Trust me what we don't eat Thomas and his father will easily consume." Isabel said with a smile, "And please call me Isabel."

"Oh, yes Ma'am, Mrs. Isabel." Jenny said pulling her hair up into a knot in the back of her head and then releasing it.

"It's a start." Isabel said shrugging slightly as she went to the counter to fetch two plates for them.

Once they had started in on their breakfast Isabel began to try and strike up a conversation about their predicament.

"Jenny, I know it might be hard to talk about this but we really need to figure out a way to get you out of that house." Isabel said as she took a large sip of her orange juice and Tabasco.

"OK." Jenny said quietly knowing what had to be done.

"I'm not sure you know this but I am a lawyer." Isabel said getting up and grabbing a notebook that was open on the counter top and the pen beside it.

Jenny just watched as Isabel flipped through the pages to the beginning where there were a series of questions.

"I need to ask you some question and I want you to answer as many you can as best you can." Isabel said posing her hand to write.

Jenny merely nodded her head.

"All right. Now I need you to tell me what happened last night- who hurt you like that?" Isabel asked even though she already knew the answer.

"Well yesterday my dad got drunk and he beat me. Thomas showed up and brought me here." Jenny said her eyes not meeting Isabel's as her voice wavered uncontrollably.

"Where was your mom?" Isabel asked as she wrote a few things down.

"My mom's dead." Jenny said her voice very low.

Isabel looked up at the girl with sadness and surprise.

She quickly looked back down, not wanting to make her any more uncomfortable, "Jenny, has this ever happened before?"

"Yes. He usually doesn't hit me in the face so it's pretty easy to conceal at school." Jenny said as she fidgeted with her thumbs.

"Jenny, you won't be able to go back there. You will no longer go live with your father if I take this case and file it. Do you understand that?" Isabel asked.

"I can't not go back there. It's my home. He doesn't mean to hurt me. He just drinks too much." Jenny said trying to figure out a way to defend her father.

"Then why does he keep drinking if he knows it's hurting you?" Isabel asked.

"Because he's hurting." Jenny said; a few tears trickling out of the corner of her eyes, "My father loved my mother very much, and when she died he started to drink. It wasn't a constant thing… but it became a constant thing. There isn't a day that he doesn't have some kind of alcohol in him."

"Jenny, I can get you some where safe, some where away from him where he can't hurt you when he's drunk. But that means you can't live with him anymore. You have to get out of there." Isabel said as she made some more notes.

"What are my choices exactly?" Jenny asked.

"Well we could send you off with relatives. We could try for emancipation, and that means you would be living on your own, or you could find foster care." Isabel said listing the choices.

"I don't have any relatives. Both my parents were only children and my mothers parents died before I was born… and my fathers parents died two years ago." Jenny said trying to narrow down her options, "I couldn't make it on my own."

"We can try for adoption." Isabel said marking off something on her paper.

"Who would want to adopt a teenager?" Jenny asked her eyebrows raised in skepticism.

"We'll have to find someone because there is no way you can go back there." Isabel said sternly.

"I want to stay in Roswell. I want to be able to go visit my father on holidays. He couldn't take losing us both completely." Jenny said more to herself as she ran ideas through her head.

"I don't want to move in with anyone I know. If word of this got around school I'd never be able to look anyone in the eye." Jenny said clarifying the purpose behind her requests.

"Jenny, your father will go to jail." Isabel said slowly looking her in the eye.

"He can't. If he goes to jail… He can't I won't let that happen. If the only way is for him to go to jail then I'm not going anywhere." Jenny said sternly after her babbling cleared.

"I can talk with the sheriff. See if we can't get him some classes, but that means that he'll have to sign you over to another guardian." Isabel said jotting something else down.

"OK, I like that idea, but that could be difficult." Jenny said finally returning to her eating.

"I can work it out with him don't worry." Isabel said reassuringly, "But the hard thing to do is to find a couple in Roswell who will take in a teenager, and there is no way you're going to the group home."

"How long will this take?" Jenny asked as she watched Isabel stand up and walk towards the portable phone holder.

"Just a sec." Isabel told her as she dialed her office number.

"Yes, This is Isabel Whitman. No, I'm not coming into the office at all. I would like you to look something up for me. I need you to go to the adopter files. Yes look up any couples in Roswell that would like to adopt a teenager age ranging from 15-17 female. Thanks." Isabel sat and tapped her foot against the floor as her secretary did as asked.

"Really? Are you sure? Can you check again?… OK, thanks. No, that's all. Thanks you. Bye." Isabel clicked the phone off and sat it back in the holder before walking back to the table a puzzled look on her face…

"None?" Jenny asked her voice weak.

"Zippo." Isabel said thumping down in the seat.

"Back I go then?" Jenny asked her voice trying to stay steady but quivering none the less as tears formed in her eyes.

"Not yet." Isabel said as she stood up suddenly and ran back to the phone.

"I'll be right back." Isabel excused herself with the phone in hand and went into her bedroom.

Jenny stared after her. She was a nice lady. She was so kind to her and a great mother. Jenny forcefully swallowed another bite of food before wiping the on coming flood from her eyes.

"Alex?" Isabel asked into the phone as she heard someone on the other line pick up.

"Is there something wrong?" He asked slightly panicked.

"I need you to come home. Now." Isabel said quickly.

"I'll just close down and be right home." Alex said instantly.

"You have to pick up Thomas from school first, and don't forget to get Jenny's work." With that she hung up and went back to the kitchen to find Jenny clearing her plate.

"Mr. Whitman, is everything all right?" Asked the clerk as he watched his boss busy around closing the shop.

"I have to leave, you get the rest of the day off." Alex said to his employee as he locked the back door.

"Explain this to us one more time." Nicole commanded sternly, "You got sick and went home."

"Yes." Thomas hissed back at them.

"You don't get sick." Josh said beginning to get frustrated.

"Listen I can't tell you guys why I wasn't here yesterday." Thomas said closing his eyes.

"Why not?" Eddie asked.

"Because my mom told me not to, but if any of you would like to go question her about it feel free." Thomas snapped irritably.

"Excuse us if we worry about you." Nicole spit back.

"I know you do but right now I have too much on my mind." Thomas said rubbing his eyes furiously.

"Thomas Whitman, Please come to the office to check out." Called a voice over the loud speaker.

Thomas eyes widened, "Oh, God".

Nicole, who had blocked his locker so they could talk raised her eyebrows at him in question.

Thomas pushed Nicole aside and opened his locker before hastily throwing his homework in his book bag.

He quickly made his way to the office a terrible knot forming in his stomach.

His dad was waiting in the lobby, "I already checked you out. Got Jenny's homework?"

"Is she OK?" He asked ignoring the previous question.

"I don't know." Alex said before turning towards the door and walking out into the parking lot.

"What do you mean 'You don't know'? How can you not know?" Thomas questioned his father as he ran his free hand through his dark hair.

"Your mom called and told me to pick you up and come home." Alex said starting the car as Thomas got in beside him.

As they arrived they rushed through the door to find both girls crying on the sofa.

"Oh God, what happened?" Thomas asked as he dropped his book bag.

"He… he… he cheated on her." Isabel said fanning her face as she kept her eyes glued to the TV.

Alex and Thomas looked at each other then back to the women… then finally at the TV… chick flick.

Thomas and his father breathed a small sigh of relief.

"Why did you call us home?" Alex asked interrupting their movie.

"I need to talk to both of you outside. Jenny, would you mind staying in here and watching the movie?" Isabel asked as she removed a tissue from the box between them and sat up.

"No ma'am." She said wiping at her face.

"Come on you two." Isabel said standing up and walking outside Thomas and Alex close at her heels.

"What is this about?" Thomas asked as he closed the door behind them expecting his mother to stop, but instead she made her way to the mailbox in the front of their yard.

As her husband and son caught up to her Alex asked, "Think we're far enough away?"

"I didn't want her to hear." Isabel said as she wrung her hands together.

"Hear what?" Thomas anxiously.

"We talked today and figured out that the only way for her to get out of there is if she's adopted or if her father signs a guardian ship over to another person." Isabel said quickly.

"To another relative, or adoption?" Thomas asked.

"She has no other relatives. It'd have to be adoption, but there's a small problem. She refuses to leave Roswell and…" Isabel said starting to fidget with the flag on the mailbox.

"There's no one who want's to adopt a teenager in Roswell." Alex finished for her; his head nodding up and down slightly.

"There is one person." Isabel said looking into Alex's eyes.

"You." Alex said simply.

"Yeah." Isabel said her voice small and questioning with a small trace of hesitation.

"Can we afford that?" Alex asked knowing his wife had already worked out some of the details.

"It'll be hard, but the biggest thing is adjusting to having her with us. Our finances are in order and there should be no serious damage to our over all financial statuses." Isabel said instantly.

"Thomas?" Alex asked smiling at Isabel.

"What are we supposed to tell her when strange things start to happen around the house? I don't want her to be brought into our freak show." Thomas said vehemently, Jenny didn't need to deal with their problems on top of her own.

"She won't be. We'll be careful. I lived with my parents for 12 years and they never knew." Isabel said surprised and yet, not, "If we don't take her she'll have to go back to him."

Thomas stayed silent for moments that lasted what seemed an eternity as his brow creased.

"When do we get her stuff?" He asked at last.

Isabel let a sound of joy escape her mouth as she enveloped both of them into a hug.

They found Jenny watching the same movie as they made their way through the front door.

"Jenny, we'd like to ask you something." Isabel said seriously as she moved to turn off the TV set.

Jenny merely nodded as she followed Thomas and Alex through the kitchen entrance and to the table.

"Jenny," Isabel began as she joined her husband at the head of the table, "as you know there's not a couple in Roswell that's looking to adopt a teenager."

"But we found a family that would like to take you in." Alex said grabbing Isabel's hand under the table.

"I know you didn't want anyone that would know you but it's with one of your school mates." Isabel said cautiously easing her into the idea.

"Who?" Jenny asked a little upset at the thought of what her friends would say and think.

"Me." Thomas said trying to make eye contact, "Jenny, we would like you to move in with us."

"What?" Jenny asked as she became flustered.

"We thought it over and we think the best solution is that you move in with us." Isabel said worried about Jenny's reactions.

"You really don't have to do that for me." Jenny said overwhelmed.

"We want to." Thomas said resting a hand on hers.

"Thank you so much." Jenny said exhaling greatly as she stood up and hugged Isabel.

"Where are you going?" Alex asked as he watched his wife bustle around the house searching for her keys.

"To see Mr. Selle." Isabel said calmly as she started to go through the kitchen drawers again.

"Isabel," Alex said his voice an advertisement for his worries.

"I'll be fine." Isabel said as she slammed the door shut and looked through her purse.

Alex just looked on watching her dump out her entire purse until she triumphantly pulled them out.

She threw everything hastily back into place before kissing her husband good bye and walking out the door.

"Mr. Selle?" Isabel asked as a man opened the front door to a beautiful two story house.

"Yes?" He replied opening the door to reveal himself dressed in a nice dress shirt and a pair of black slacks.

"We need to talk. May I come inside?" Isabel asked forcing a fake smile to stay on her lips… looking at him made her so very angry.

"Of course, Miss?" He asked stepping back to let her enter.

"Mrs. Whitman." Isabel said as she made her way inside the house.

"So," Mr. Selle began as he showed her to a seat in the living room that was done in all oak and was quite immaculate, "Mrs. Whitman what do we need to discuss?"

"Your daughter." Isabel said laying her briefcase on her knees and opening it to get some papers out if needed.

"Jenny isn't here at the moment. Did she do something or…" He began confused as he watched her extract some folders.

"No she did nothing Mr. Selles. You did something." Isabel said her voice calm and cool.

"I did?" He asked standing up and walking towards the bar, "Care for a drink?"

"No thank you." Isabel said glaring at his back as he turned to pour himself one, "Do you drink often?"

"Should I have a lawyer present?" He asked a small nervous smile gracing his lips as he came back to the sitting area and placed his drink next to him on an in table.

"I am a lawyer, Jenny's lawyer." Isabel said setting her case on the ground and crossing her legs, "Mr. Selle last night you got extremely intoxicated and physically abused your daughter to an excessive degree. My sources lead me to believe that this is not the first occurrence of this sort."

"Where do you get your sources because you have been miss informed." Mr. Selles commented confidently as he took a sip of his beverage his hand shaking ever so slightly.

"Mr. Selle, Jenny is at my house. She has been there since your last… episode. She informs me that there is no family that she can take residence with, and that moving outside of Roswell isn't in her best interest school wise." Isabel began.

"You can't take my daughter away. I demand to speak to a lawyer before you continue and make any false accusations." Mr. Selle raised his voice as he leapt to his feet, glass in hand.

"Mr. Selle, you can call your lawyer; and we can set up a meeting; and then me, you, your counsel, and the judge will take a nice long look at Jenny's bruises and your bill for the liquor you purchased Friday night at the Quick Stop." Isabel said as she picked up one of her papers, "Or you could sign her guardian ship over to someone in Roswell that will take care of her and keep you out of court."

"What happens if we go to court?" He asked as he sat back down.

"Then the judge will most likely sentence Jenny to a foster family and you to at least 15 years in prison for assault and battery of a minor." Isabel said staring him straight in the eyes.

"Who would she be signed over to? Would I get visitations?" He asked as he set the glass down and rested his head on his hands.

"We would settle visitation outside of court. Jenny will see you when she wants if your schedules permit. She will be under no obligations to contact you at any time. You can call her, send her letters, and request visits. She also made a request that you join some kind of drinking program such as Alcoholics Anonymous." Isabel explained as she handed him the papers.

"What's this?" He asked skimming over it.

"It's a document that restates and goes into detail about the guidelines I have just explained. It's not legally binding, but if you have any questions and you can't get a hold of my office this is just something for you to keep on record for your convince." Isabel stood up and grabbed her briefcase.

"I will call you with a court date in which we will go before the judge and you will sign the guardian ship over to the people Jenny is to find new residence with." With that Isabel went to the door of the house and opened it to leave.

Mr. Selle called her back, "Can I see her?"

"She will be by later to pick up some things. I'll be sending a friend along with her." Isabel said shutting the door behind her.

"You sure you can do this?" Thomas asked as he watched Jenny stare at her house with tears forming in her eyes.

"I have to, don't I?" Jenny asked as she let her headrest against the seat back and took a long breath before shoving the door open on Thomas's car.

"I'm here if you need me." Thomas said as he stood behind her his hand grazing the small of her back lightly.

"Should I knock?" Jenny asked her hand poised to do so.

Before Thomas could answer the door swung open and there stood her father ready to greet them. He looked at Jenny's swollen face and could not meet her eyes.

"Dad," Jenny began gesturing to the boy standing behind her, "this is Thomas."

"Hello." Mr. Selle said as he offered his hand for a handshake.

Thomas's eyes were trained into Mr. Selle's; Thomas's hands remaining at his side.

Mr. Selle slowly let his hand fall back into place as he stepped aside to let them pass.

"I'm not going to get everything tonight, just some of my essentials." Jenny explained as she moved forward and headed for the stairs Thomas right behind her blocking her father from her.

"Jenny, could we talk alone before you leave?" Mr. Selle asked as he watched Thomas place his hand on the back of his daughter's back.

"Sure dad." Jenny said leaning back wards slightly to feel the warmth of her self-claimed protector.

Jenny offered a small uneasy smile as she turned and made her way upstairs to her room.

Thomas walked slowly into Jenny's room taking in the sight. There were no signs of last night's catastrophe.

Everything was normal. Normal… there was a very disturbing word that held no precedence when describing anything in Roswell.

"I only need a few things. We shouldn't have to be here very long." Jenny said as she walked to her closet and pulled down two big suit cases.

"Take how ever long you need." Thomas said as he walked into her bathroom. With wide eyes he examined the interesting shower curtain that had little green alien heads all over it.

"Don't worry I won't bring it." Jenny said as she walked past him and picked up a few things off the counter.

"You should." Thomas said smiling as he thought about his mother's reaction.

"Which room do you want?" Thomas asked as he turned around looking at her.

"You mean I have choices?" Jenny asked her eyebrows drawn together as she unclipped the shower curtain and rolled it into a ball.

"Yeah, mine or the guest room." Thomas said shaking his head.

"I am not going to push you out of your room. It's bad enough I am moving in with you. You're parents are really nice to take pity on me and take me in." Jenny said as she walked back into her room and tossed some things into her night bag that lay unzipped by the cases.

"You honestly believe we're taking pity on you?" Thomas asked as he followed her.

Jenny lowered herself to her knees by her open dresser drawer and began to take out shirts and pants.

"Jenny we're not taking pity on you." Thomas said as he leaned his head against the door.

"No one else would adopt me. I have no where else to go. Your mom saw that the only way I was going to get out of this house was by her or death." Jenny said as she moved on to another drawer, not looking up or making eye contact.

"That's not what my mom saw." Thomas said shaking his head.

"Don't get me wrong, I owe a lot to your family for letting me stay with you- imposing on you, but I still feel like it's because I had no other options." Jenny said shutting the last drawer.

"You're not imposing on us. We want you there. We want you to be a part of our family. We don't pity you just like we don't pity uncle Michael." Thomas said pushing himself off the door frame.

"Uncle Michael?" Jenny asked scavenging through her closet.

"My uncle. He had a really tough child hood. He was adopted into a not so loving environment. My mom spent nights crying about it when she found out. My grandfather was a lawyer and got my uncle emancipated." Thomas began to explain as he walked over to her bed, "My mom needs you as much as you need her. You need her for support and all that good stuff right now, she … she needs you for closure. This time she's the one that's helping. It killed her that she couldn't do anything for my uncle."

"So your family grew up here?" Jenny asked confused.

"Why do ask?" Thomas questioned.

"Well your uncle can't be your mom's brother because they had different parents seeing as they lived in separate houses. And that means that he's your father's brother. That means that your mom and your uncle were really good friends. Meaning they grew up together." Jenny said as she tossed her shoes into the case beside him.

"My family is very confusing in terms of who's kin to who. It's easier if you just think of everyone that isn't your parents as an aunt, uncle, or cousin. That way you don't get too confused with the technicalities." Thomas said chuckling slightly.

"Will I meet your family?" Jenny asked smiling at him.

"Yeah, about that, tomorrow is the first Saturday of the month." Thomas began trying to figure out how to explain that she was going to be on display tomorrow.

"Yeah?" Jenny asked zipping up the first case.

"Every first Saturday we have breakfast with everyone." Thomas said using his hands to emphasize the 'everyone' part.

"Everyone? Who is everyone?" Jenny asked her eyes wide with surprise.

"Nicole Guerin and her parents; Josh Evans and his parents; Eddie Valenti and his parents; and us." Thomas said grabbing the closed cases off the bed.

Jenny let out a long breath as she walked towards the door not saying a word.

Thomas picked up her cases and went to follow her.

"I'm not leaving yet," Jenny said as she halted him, "I'm just going to see what my dad wanted and say good-bye."

Thomas dropped her cases by the door and reached out for her shoulders, "I know you feel bad about moving out, but if he says anything to try and… persuade you to stay just remember what happened. Stay strong because you and I both know it'll happen again if you don't."

Jenny nodded her head slowly before pulling away and walking down the stairs and into the living room where her father sat.

"Dad?" Jenny asked taking a seat across from him.

Thomas lowered himself onto Jenny's bed.

Ever since the last connection he made with her he could easily access her emotions. He couldn't bring himself to break the connection, so he always had some knowledge of her emotions, especially when she was really happy or scared… right now she was really scared.

He concentrated on trying to send her out some kind of reassurance that wouldn't seem suspicious.

"Jenny, are you sure this is what you want? Moving in with complete strangers?" Mr. Selle asked.

"They're not complete strangers." Jenny protested.

"They're not your family." Mr. Selle said brushing off her comment.

"They don't hit me." Jenny said her anger from the incident finally surfacing.

"Jenny, I know I hurt you and I didn't mean to. If I could take it back I would in a heartbeat." Mr. Selle said desperately.

"Yeah I know you didn't mean to dad, not that time or the time before or even the time before that one. You can't control it and I can't risk getting hurt again. Did you know that when you left me in my room I couldn't walk?" Jenny asked her brows furrowed together.

"I set up meetings, AA, I'm going to the next one. We can work this out. You and me. Family." Mr. Selle protested reaching out and grabbing Jenny's hands.

"Dad I love you, but I can't stay here. What if we get into a fight and you resort to booze? I'll be a punching bag, again. I'm tired of it. I can't wake up again with pain aching all over my body and having to wear long sleeve shirts in the summer… dad, we can talk after you've been through the meetings. After you resolve this problem." Jenny said jerking her hands back and standing.

"Jenny…" Mr. Selle said as he too stood up.

"Dad I love you. You are my father that will never change. I will come visit you and talk to you, but I can't live with you. Not now and probably never again." Jenny said kissing her father on the cheek and hugging him, "Good-bye."

As she rounded the corner she found Thomas standing at the top of the stairs.

"Bag?" He asked as he held up her over night bag.

She held up her hands to catch it as she motioned him to throw it down.

"I'm just saying we could change the colors a little. You know just a little… touch up?" Isabel asked her husband as she looked around Jenny's soon to be room.

"We don't even know what color she likes. We should just wait for her and do it the human way." Alex protested.

"You spoil all my fun." Isabel protested as she sat down on the bed her arms crossed over her chest.

"All your fun?" Alex asked leaning over and kissing her fully-passionately on the lips.

"MOM, DAD, WE'RE HOME!" Thomas yelled as he walked through the house Jenny's bags in his hands.

"Did they go out?" Jenny asked following Thomas as they ascended the stairs

"No the car's still in the driveway." Thomas said as he stopped at her door, "Welcome to your new room."

As he pushed it open his jaw hit the floor.

Isabel and Alex sat on the bed deep into a heavy make-out section.

Jenny couldn't contain herself as she began to laugh at not only Thomas's parents' display but the repulsed and embarrassed look portrayed on his face as his jaw collided with the floor.

"MOM! DAD!" Thomas yelled throwing his hand over his eyes.

Isabel bolted up immediately followed by a confused Alex.

"You two are worse then teenagers!" Thomas said his hand still over his eyes as he listened to Jenny gasp for air she was laughing so hard.

"Why don't you go down stairs and get some money from my purse? You can take Jenny to the hard ware store and get some paint for her room." Isabel said as she grinned at the floor her cheeks bright red; her husband, on the other hand, remained silent.

"You two better behave while we're gone!" Thomas warned as he blindly pointed a finger before turning around, removing his hand, and walking into the hallway.

"Are they always such…" Jenny began not knowing what to term them as.

"Horndogs? Every once in a while but not usually." Thomas said shaking his head at the thought of an all day every day romp feast between his parental units.

They quickly made their way to the money and then to the car.

As they entered the store Jenny got a sour look on her face.

"It's the plant feed." Thomas explained as he steered her away from the plant section and toward the home improvement isle.

"OK, what color do you want?" Thomas asked as they came upon a color rack that had every color sectioned off into it's own division: Red, Pink, Magenta; Blue, Old-Ladies-Hair blue, Sky blue; etc…

"Something pinkish?" Jenny asked looking over the wall of color.

"Pinkish isn't my department." Thomas said holding up his hands.

"Would you mind if I painted the room pinkish?" Jenny asked quickly.

"I'm not the one living in it. If you want pink go for pink." Thomas said as he enthusiastically picked out every 'pink colored card' he could see.

"This one?" Thomas asked pointing at a bright electrical pink.

"No." Jenny said shaking her head, "This really isn't your department, is it?"

"No, I leave all my painting decisions up to Nicole." Thomas said off handily as he sorted through the color cards.

"She paints?" Jenny asked her eyebrows quirking.

Thomas was about to respond when he got an inspiration. He grabbed Jenny's hand and pulled her towards the exit.

"Thomas… we need paint. Paint is in the store." Jenny said slowly as he unlocked the car doors, "We're not in the store. Why?"

"I'm taking you some where." Thomas explained quickly as he unlocked her door and buckled his seat belt.

"What is this place?" Jenny asked as she looked through the door into a lobby.

"This is the art gallery my uncle runs." Thomas said walking past the doors that read 'employees only'.

"You have got to see this room. It's magnificent." Thomas said as he lead her down one of the corridors.

"It's beautiful, Nicole and Randy painted it little while ago." Thomas said opening the door.

"For the love of…" Thomas began as he turned around the picture in front of him burned into his eye lids.

Even Jenny was shocked into silence before she started to laugh, "What is it with your family?"

"This is gross you guys!" Thomas cried as he waited for his Uncle Michael and Aunt Maria to say something.

"Hello Thomas." Maria said blushing deeply as she ran a hand through her hair and rubbed at her smeared lipstick.

"What are you doing here?" Michael asked sitting up on the couch, "And who's your friend?"

"Uncle Michael- Aunt Maria this is Jenny Selle, Jenny these are Nicole's parents, My Uncle Michael and my Aunt Maria." Thomas said; introducing them as he turned around.

"You can call us Mrs. Maria and Mr. Michael if you want." Maria said as she stood up, "So what brings you here?"

"My parents making out in Jenny's room." Thomas said not believing his hormonal-driven relatives.

Michael chuckled to himself as he stood and joined his wife only catching 'the what' portion of the statement not 'the where'.

"What were they doing in Jenny's bedroom?" Maria asked puzzled.

Jenny began to wring her hands together, what were their reactions going to be?

"You need to call my mom." Thomas said in way of explanation.

"We'll go do that." Michael said placing his arm around Maria's waist and urging her to a more private area.

"Sure you will." Thomas said as they exited the doors.

"They're interesting." Jenny said her eyes following them out and keeping station on the door as it swung shut.

"Horndogs." Thomas muttered sitting down on the couch and motioning her towards him.

"So what did you want to show me?" Jenny asked looking into his eyes.

"Look around the room." Thomas said as he turned his head to take in the site.

Jenny looked puzzled before she obediently relocated her train of vision to the wall across from her.

There, painted in the most extravagant details, was a beautiful castle with clouds surrounding the highest tower. The painted blocks looking ever so real with their visible faults. Sprigs of Ivy crawled up the fortress aging it's existence but not it's beauty.

She spun her head towards the wall to her left, there was a beautiful garden full of exotic plants and beautiful creatures of light that looked vivid on the background jungle green, shimmering hue that was there.

On the wall behind her there was a path, a worn dirt path that lead to a river in the distance. The pebbles along the road were as if 3-D. The worn marks by many feet were visible and the river seemed as though it would start flowing right off the wall on which it sat.

Turning yet again to make a complete journey Jenny's eyes found a sight that was off setting and dazzling. A wall of stars. Brilliant sparkles were twinkling due to the flickering of her eyes and the light. There were spots that were more defined and shaped and brighter than others but that's because they weren't just stars they were plants and different systems of brilliant, subtle colors.

"This is…" Jenny began searching for words to vocalize the magnificence she was taking in.

"Yeah I know." Thomas said having the same reaction the first time he had seen it, "Look up."

"Whoa." Jenny said as her eyes focused on the beautiful dragon that had it's wings spanned across the ceiling.

"Nicole and Randy painted this room." Thomas said taking her hand and leading her to the door and farther down the hall to another room.

Thomas went to open it but thought better of it, "NICOLE! RANDY! We're coming in."

"OK." Nicole yelled back throwing a questioning look back to her boyfriend who merely shrugged his shoulders and continued on what he was doing.

Thomas meekly peeked inside the room to find them both at separate easels.

"Thank God." Thomas said motioning for Jenny to follow.

"Thank God what?" Nicole asked not looking back to her cousin until she sensed an unfamiliar presence.

"I caught my parents making out, so they sent me out for paint. When I came in I found YOUR parents making out. And since you weren't - Thank God." Thomas finished quickly.

"Poor baby." Nicole sympathized before looking over at Jenny Selle, "What are you doing here?"

"Jenny is looking for colors for her bedroom, and I figured you would be the best person to ask considering I'm not much help." Thomas explained.

"I thought you said your parents sent you out for paint." Randy said finally lowering his paint brush.

"Nicole will explain after she talks to her mom." Thomas said not wanting to go into it.

"OK," Nicole said a little confused, "so how can I help you?"

"Could you paint my room?" Jenny asked.

"How big is your room and how much would you pay me?" Nicole responded plunking her paint brush in a cup of liquid.

"I don't know." Jenny said as she looked towards Thomas for some help.

Thomas sighed, he didn't know either.

"You know the guest room. It's that size." Thomas said hoping to satisfy Nicole.

"Again how much will you pay me?" Nicole asked.

"How much do you charge?" Jenny challenged.

"A hundred dollars a wall." Nicole said quickly.

"Nicole. A family discount price please." Thomas said noticing Jenny's eyes go wide.

"Why?" Nicole asked confused, she was beginning to be very confused.

"Your mom will explain." Thomas said hoping she could take that as an answer.

"Thomas." Nicole warned in a low voice.

"Trust me?" Thomas asked causing Nicole to sigh heavily.

"Fine fifty dollars a wall." Nicole said wiping her hands clean.

"Three hundred. It's a deal." Jenny said happily.

"Three hundred?" Thomas asked confused.

"Four walls, one ceiling, and one floor." Jenny explained.

"OK," Nicole said evenly as she walked towards the locker that held the paints.

"Any idea of what you want on it?" Nicole asked bringing out a can of green paint.

"Not yet, but I'll tell you soon." Jenny said in her usual school manner.

"Is that all?" Nicole asked.

"Yes." Jenny said as she turned to go, "Oh, I loved your paintings. They are very beautiful."

"Thanks." Nicole said casually.

"Bye." Thomas said as he walked over and kissed Nicole on the cheek and waved to Randy.

"Bye." They replied as he followed Jenny out of the doors.

There was silence for a few moments before Randy got up and walked towards Nicole, as he stood behind her he could smell the fruit shampoo she used.

"Now that they're gone… can we finish what we were in the middle of?" Randy asked kissing the back of her neck.

"You are such a dork." Nicole said spinning around on her stool and kissing her boyfriend.

"How are you going to pay?" Thomas asked as he walked back to the car.

"I have my ways." Was all Jenny would say as she jumped in.

"OK, this is time to lay down the ground rules." Isabel said as she seated herself at the table.

Thomas and Jenny looked up from their pizza to see Alex and Isabel looking very serious.

"Rule number one. No sex." Isabel said very bluntly.

Alex, Thomas, and Jenny almost choked on their food.

"Rule number two, you are not to spend the night in each others bedroom unless you have good reasons." Isabel said remembering how at times when she was younger she had needed Alex to hold her.

"How many rules are there?" Thomas asked as he forced himself to take a drink.

"A few." Isabel said, "Number three- no detention, suspension, or expulsion. Number four- you must pull above a 3.5 GPA. Number five- no unknown long distance calls. Number six- If you want the car you and Thomas have to figure out a schedule or something. The last one to drive fills up the gas. Number seven- Every first Saturday we have a family breakfast, which we would like you to attend.

Number eight- no illegal substances are allowed in this house. You're not allowed to drink or smoke. And since you're not under this roof at all time we can't expect you to follow the no sex rule- but please if you're going to have sex use some form of protection."

Thomas's mouth hit the kitchen table as his mother finally took a breathe. His gaze slid over to Jenny's face she looked as stunned as he was.

The entire table was silent as Alex shook his head at his food thinking of his insane wife.

"Any one want more pizza?" Isabel asked as if the last things that had come out of her mouth were mere shop talk.

"You forgot rule number nine." Alex said as he helped his wife wash dishes.

"Nine?" She asked her eyebrows quirking up.

"Yeah number nine- you know, if you see anything float around the house or mysteriously change shape or color no screaming or running to a tabloid." Alex said as he stacked the bowls up and put them in the cabinet.

"Funny." Isabel said with a strained smile.

"I thought so."

"That was an interesting dinner." Jenny said as she sat on Thomas's bed brushing out her wet hair. The glistening strands leaving water drops on her shoulders that were exposed by one of her crop top night shirts that stopped mid drift right above her baggy silk night pants with little silver moons on a black background.

"Tell me about it." Thomas said as he exited the bathroom in his sweats and a wife beater.

"Is she always so blunt?" She asked as she tossed the hair brush on his desk.

"I don't know. She's just my mom, you know?" Thomas asked grabbing a CD and popping it into the player.

As Save Ferris came on Jenny's eyes lit up, "This is such an oldie."

"You like Save Ferris?" Thomas asked smiling as he turned the music up slightly.

"I'm a closet freak fan. I love Eagle Eye Cherry, Creed, Garbage, The Toys, and one of my favorites is Metallica- yeah they're way old but they will always rock." Jenny said with such exuberance it made Thomas's pulse speed up.

"You will get along just fine with the Guerins. They are Metalica lovers." Thomas said shaking his head and walking over to the door and propping it open.

"I guess it's time I went to bed so I can get up bright and early to be ogled at." Jenny said as she stood up.

"Would you like to know the… what is it you and your friends say?… the 411 on everyone?" Thomas asked trying to help her adjust to the idea of tomorrow's lunch.

"Sure." Jenny said sitting back down and leaning against the wall on the other side of the bed.

"OK, well let's start with Nicole and her family. The Guerins are very peculiar…" Thomas began as Jenny took this as her cue to sink down and snuggle into a pillow.

"Rise and Shine! It's morning time!" Alex said cheerfully as he looked down at two sleeping teens.

Thomas merely rolled over and threw his arm around Jenny. Jenny curled into his chest and stayed that way.

'How long will it last?' Alex asked himself mentally as he smiled at the adolescents.

"How long will what last?" Isabel asked from the hall.

"Look at them." Alex said reaching towards his wife who went easily into his arms.

Jenny slowly came to consciousness.

"Sleep well?" Isabel asked smiling down at her.

Jenny groaned as the impending breakfast came to mind. She closed her eyes once again.

"Na-huh! You two get up and come down." Alex said with a chuckle.

Isabel and Alex made their way down stairs to the awaiting chatter.

"Thomas," Jenny called to the boy beside her.

"No." Thomas said not opening his eyes.

"Get up." Jenny commanded as she propped herself up.

"No."

"Thomas Whitman."

"No."

Jenny placed her hands on his chest and gave him a shove.

Thomas made a thud as he connected with the floor beneath him.

"You suck." He croaked out before he propelled himself off the floor.

Jenny threw on a pair of old jeans and a T-shirt on before walking back into Thomas's room, her brush in hand.

Thomas was rooting through his closet trying to find his navy blue 'Alternative' shirt.

"You take too long." Jenny said sitting down on his bed and brushing her hair.

"If my mom would've left my closet alone, instead of organizing it, I'd be fine." Thomas said turning to look at her.

"MARK!" a voice yelled downstairs followed by inaudible talking.

"Time to meet my doom?" Jenny asked as Thomas picked up a shirt and pulled it over his head.

"They'll love you like any other member of the family." Thomas said trying to reassure her.

"That's what I'm afraid of."

"Go." Thomas said calmly into her ear as she hesitated outside the kitchen.

"No."

"Only works for me." Thomas smiled as he pushed her into the kitchen.

The kitchen suddenly got quite; something that almost never happens in this family.

Jenny looked at everyone with weary eyes. And them the same.

"Why do they get to sleep in?" Eddie whined.

"We're special." Thomas said sitting at an empty set; Jenny beside him.

"Whatever Whitman." Eddie scoffed as he reached over and started to take more bacon before Mark and Matt jumped on his hand.

"HEY! Play nice!" Michael barked at them as they started to fight over the food.

Jenny let out a breathe she wasn't even aware she was holding… so this was it… this was now home… this would be interesting, very interesting.

The End


	16. Two Down, Five to Go 16

-1Title: Two Down, Five to Go (#16)

Author: Vix

Rating: PG-13

Category: Future Children

Disclaimers: I own everyone except for the parents.

Author's Note: FEED ME- And thank my review team for this.

"I can't do this." Josh said as he paced the living room for what must have been the hundredth time.

"Yes you can." Liz said as she rocked Alixandria in her arms.

"They'll hate me!" Josh said as he reached the wall and turned around to make tracks once again.

"They'll love you." Max countered as he came into the living room with a bottle of warm milk.

"What if I embarrass myself?" Josh asked in horror.

"What if you're late and then you have to apologize and you end up apologizing for it every five minutes and annoy them and make them think you have some sort of guilty conscious and then that would lead to them thinking that there is a reason. Then they'll be weary of even letting Amanda talk to you." Nicole said in an even voice in one breath.

"But…" Josh began to argue.

"Go before you're late." Max said tossing him the keys.

"But?" Josh said as he took one fearful step towards the door then looked at the people around him.

Nicole rolled her eyes and opened the door with a nod of her head she walked over to Josh and pushed him out of the door shutting it behind him.

There was silence for a moment.

"Thank you." Josh said before he turned and walked to the car. He started the vehicle and tried to swallow the lump in his throat. He had never been so nervous about meeting someone's parents.

"That boy." Nicole said shaking her head with a smile.

"Speaking of boys, are you and Randy going to paint Jenny's room tonight?" Liz asked curiously.

"Yeah. I should probably get going." Nicole didn't look too enthused.

"Why don't you give her a chance. Izzy and Alex wouldn't have let her stay if there wasn't something special about her. Just get to know her before you pass any true judgments." Liz said seeing the obvious dislike for the girl.

"No promises." Nicole said with raised eyebrows.

"I'll see you later." Nicole said as she hugged Max and kissed him on the cheek.

She hugged Liz around the shoulders and kissed the baby in her arms on the forehead.

"So do you know what you want painted yet?" Isabel asked as she helped Jenny remove all the furniture from her room.

"Yeah I do." Jenny said as she lifted one side of her bed.

"Why don't we let the men do this again?" Isabel asked as she lifted the other side.

"Because they're playing with their toys." Jenny said walking backwards into Alex.

"They're really nice toys though." Alex said playfully as he and Thomas moved out of the way so that the bed could come out.

"Finally done playing with the guitars?" Isabel asked as she walked back into the room.

"For now." Thomas said as he and his father went to the dresser.

"You ready?" Nicole asked as she walked into the art room at the gallery and out the double door back exit. It was convenient for transportation of canvases too large to go through the normal doorways.

"Yeah I packed up like one of each color." Randy said as he closed the back of the van used to run painting errands for the gallery customers. Usually it was only used for delivery, but Michael had given them permission to take it and the paints to Isabel's house and paint Jenny's room.

"I brought some paints in my car. I'm going to drive it over there." Nicole said as she turned around to walk into the gallery and to her car out front.

"Stop." Randy said loudly as he walked towards her.

She spun around in just enough time to be face to face to her boyfriend.

He looked at her and cupped on side of her face with his hand. His thumb gently stroked her cheek as her eyes slid closed. He ran his hand to the back of her neck and pulled her forward his lips attacking hers passionately. His tongue was wild and his lips were soft. Nicole grabbed his back for dear life. The kiss was the most intense they had ever shared. Even more intense than the shared eraser room kisses.

As he reluctantly pulled back Nicole let out a moan of disappointment. She leaned against his broad chest feeling his heart beat fast due to over exertion and lack of oxygen. His breathing was erratic as he tried to compose himself. His ragged breathes blowing against her head and ear.

She was not fairing any better. Her breathing was just as inconsistent, but that was because her pounding heart felt as though it was lodged in her throat.

"I love you no matter what you are." Randy said in her ear causing her breathing to stop all together.

She pushed back quickly her mind running amuck, what had he just said?

"I know. I know about you." Randy said looking at her intensely.

"What? What do you know about me?" Nicole asked her eyes wide with fear.

"That you're not like other girls." Randy said stroking her cheek.

She turned from his touch as if it burnt her skin.

"What do you mean I'm not like other girls?" She asked moving farther away, her lip trembling.

"You're special. You're not human." Randy said taking a step towards her, "You're an alien."

Nicole couldn't take it, she had to get away, there were too many jumbled thoughts in her head, and she fled.

Josh nervously rang the doorbell. Amanda opened the door before he could pull his finger away.

"Hey." She said quietly as she gave him a hug and a quick kiss on the lips, "My parents are in the kitchen."

"You started already? Am I late?" Josh asked as he began to panic, "Are they mad? Should I leave?"

"Josh, you're ten minutes early. They're still cooking." Amanda said as she laughed at her boyfriend.

"Oh." Josh let out a breath.

"Don't be so nervous. They'll love you." Amanda said as she hugged him again.

Josh wrapped her in his arms again. The feeling of her body so close to his made him relax… a little.

Amanda released her grasp on him and took his hand.

Josh shut the door behind them as he followed his girlfriend through the hallway and into the dinning area, which was adjoined with the kitchen.

"You're early." Amanda's dad said as he entered the dinning room with a casserole in his hands.

He set it down on the table and shook Josh's hand. Josh looked him straight in the eyes; "It's nice to meet you sir."

Amanda's dad smiled, "Nice to meet you too."

"Finally." His wife added as she walked in with plates.

Nicole rushed through the door to her house.

Matt and Mark looked at their sister with concerned eyes.

"You OK?" Matt asked as his brother went to hug the obviously distressed Guerin.

Nicole backed away quickly, "I'm Fine."

"Liar." Marc said as he went forward again.

"Did Amanda call?" She asked as she tried to calm herself down.

"Don't change the subject." Matt said, as he too became even more concerned.

"I'll just…" Nicole didn't even bother finishing her thought. She ran out of her house and jumped back into her car.

She pulled out of the driveway so that her brothers couldn't follow her. She quietly pulled over to a side road and rested her head against the steering wheel while taking deep breathes.

She would go to Josh's!

She started the car again and pulled out slowly. Turning onto the main road she realized Josh was still at Amanda's.

"OK Nicole, it's OK. Do not panic!" Nicole talked to herself trying to calm down.

"Call Thomas- tell him to send Randy home. Then go over and finish what you were doing before your world fell apart." Nicole instructed herself as she reached for her cell phone.

"Thomas…" Nicole said out loud as she dialed his code number for speed dial.

"Where are you? What's wrong?" Thomas asked picking up the phone before it even rang.

"What?" Nicole asked slightly surprised.

"Matt and Mark called- they're worried. Josh called from Amanda's asking what happened to you. Randy called and said he was going to be late because he was going to look for you. Your parents, Josh's parents, my parents, and Eddie's parents are worried. Even Eddie, our Eddie, is worried about the emotions coming off of you." Thomas said his voice getting louder, but still filled with concern.

"Call them. Tell them I'm fine. I just had a fight with Randy. Tell Randy to drop the paints at your house and leave. I'll take care of Jenny's room." Nicole said formulating a plan in her head.

"You're lying." Thomas said knowing her all too well.

"Thomas, please." Nicole begged softly not denying the accusation.

"Just hurry your pale butt up!" Thomas said caving.

"Love you cousin." Nicole said grateful.

"Love you too."

Nicole hung up the cell phone and pulled over to the side of the road.

"Nicole, you're screwed." She said to herself as she leaned backwards closing her eyes.

Randy pulled the van over about four meters behind her turning off his engine and quietly getting out.

He had been looking for her everywhere.

He slowly ran up to the car. She had her head resting against the headrest, tears pouring out from under sealed eyelids. She looked so utterly distraught.

He would give anything to wrap her up in his arms and cradled her against him their hearts entwined in beat. But he knew she couldn't handle that right now.

He slowly reached his hand out to knock on the glass, but before he could make contact it rolled down.

"Go away." Nicole said a tremble in her voice.

"Sounds like a talk we've had before, but as I recall I was the one in the car." Randy joked nervously.

"Randy… I just I can't do this." Nicole said as she started to start the car.

"Nicole please." Randy said as he put his hand on hers trying to stop her.

She jerked her hand back like his touch was molten lava that scared her porcelain skin.

"NO!" She yelled as she got over into the passenger seat and out of the door running away as quickly as she could. She had to leave. She had to get everything straight in her head first.

Randy just ran after her waiting for her to tire or to at least slow down so that he could catch up.

Nicole cursed under her ragged breath as she felt Randy catch up to her. Why didn't she date really out of shape guys?

She slowed down to a stop and put her head down to try and revive her now battered lungs.

Sucking air deep into her lungs she lifted her head watching as Randy stood above her grinning.

"What?" She asked harshly, it was time for the walls to come up.

"It's a jock thing. You know, running." Randy said as he leaned forward.

She stood erect immediately. Her eyes were a violent sea storm. The gray circles almost black with turmoil.

"Nicole," Randy began taking a small step towards her, careful not to make any sudden movements.

"We need to talk." His voice was smooth like he was trying to calm a wild animal… a wild Guerin… it wasn't exactly an exaggeration.

"Then talk." Nicole said her stance very defensive.

"Nicole, I know you're freaked because I know that you're special but I don't see why you're scared of me." Randy said as he shoved his hands into his pockets.

Before Nicole could reply a car passed by and the sound startled them both.

"Come on." Nicole said motioning to the woods behind her as they both walked into the secluded, more private area.

"How long have you known?" Nicole asked as she starred at the sky.

"You mean really known or had an inkling?" Randy asked as he shifted his weight back and forth.

"Start from the beginning." She commanded her tone unreadable just as her features were.

"When we were in the eraser room. That's where it started. I got a vision or flash of the future or something. You were changing things around you with your hands. Telling me that you were… special. Then when I got home I read the piece of paper you dropped." Randy said as he removed his hands from his pockets and pulled a wallet out of the back pocket of his jeans.

He slid a worn piece of paper out of the folds and opened it,

"I am anything but what I seem.

I'm not like you

But I suffer too

I'm inhuman

My pain is looming

Looming above me

Tears run like the sea

I desire your Golden touch

But my kind doesn't deserve such"

"It's your poem. Underneath it you wrote- 'alien-hybrid and Jocks don't mix'."

"There's no way you could know from a flash, that you didn't know was real, and a stupid poem." Nicole said glaring at him. He was hiding something.

"You can sense me. I… I can sense you too." Randy admitted, "You always know when I am behind you or when I enter a room, like back at the car. I can do that with you. I can feel the moment you come into a room. My mind doesn't exactly comprehend what's going on but my heart, it knows when you're near. And then there's the dragon thing." Randy said the last part very quietly.

"Dragon thing?" Nicole asked crossing her arms over her chest to try and strengthen her resolve.

"When we were working on the mural I had my back to you and when I turned around you waved your hand over the dragon's eyes and they sparkled like diamonds in the sun." Randy said taking a step closer.

"You spied on me!" Nicole called out.

"Not exactly, and let's not forget you lied to me!" Randy yelled.

"I had to." She countered.

"Why? Why couldn't you tell me?" Randy asked indignant.

"I sort of think my life depends on it! I don't want to be a lab rat for the FBI. Sorry, it just doesn't sound very promising to me!" Nicole said as she snapped her head from side to side.

"You thought I would turn you in?" Randy asked his voice expressing every bit of the hurt he was feeling… feeling because of her.

"Randy…" Nicole said her façade falling a little.

"No. No way." Randy said as he shook his head and gripped his hands in fists, "After I found out I still loved you. I gave up every thing I had at school, my jock friends, and my popularity, to be with you. I was even going to give up a job I LOVE to be with you. You want to know why? BECAUSE I LOVE YOU! Did you honestly doubt me that much? Can you look me in the eyes and tell me that you loved me when you didn't even trust me?" Randy asked his eyes a dark glassy jade. Stone… they were stone.

Nicole looked him in the eyes, "Get out."

"News Flash Girlie we are out." Randy said scoffing.

Nicole took a deep breath, "You can get out. You can walk away from me right now and I will understand. If you don't want to be brought into this hybrid mess you can leave now. I won't blame you." She said her eyes finding the ground very interesting. She knew her self well enough to know that her eyes, right now, were portraying every emotion in her body.

Randy walked over to her and put his hand under her chin lifting her face to meet his eyes. This time she didn't shun from his touch.

"Laurie Nicole Guerin," Randy said looking her in the eyes, "You're not human, you're not normal, you're not like any other person on earth. Not because you're an alien, but because you're an angel. You're my angel."

Tears sprung top Nicole's eyes, "No, I'm not. I'm not an angel."

Before Randy could protest she lifted herself up and kissed him softly, "I'm a pixie. Get it right."

Randy let a grin come across his face.

"I love you." He said as he pulled her close and kissed her forehead.

"I love you too." She said snuggling into his chest.

After a few moments of peaceful silence Randy spoke again, "I like you."

"I like you more!" Nicole responded with a child like glee.

She took his hand and led him deeper into the woods.

"Na-uh!" Randy said back as he gripped her hand firmly.

Josh felt a tidal wave of relief and love flow over him. His stomach finally stopped tightening in knots.

"So Josh, how is school?" Amanda's mom, Teresa, asked.

"Very well. We're just starting our final reviews though so I suspect it won't be that way for long." He said a real smile on his face.

"Finals, heh… school is ending so soon. Do you have any plans for the summer?" Amanda's dad, Will, asked.

Suddenly a picture of Amanda in a bathing suit popped into his mind. He cleared his throat a little before answering, "Not yet."

"So what powers do you have?" Randy asked as Nicole finished her story about her aunts, uncles, cousins, and parents.

"Well…" She said as she turned towards a tree and touched an ivy growing on it making the ivy grow all over the tree and sprouting beautiful weird flowers from a bivine.

"Wow." Randy said as he ran his hand over the thriving vine and then he touched her hand and ran his hand up her arm and into her hair, making her swallow.

"Are you scared of me?" Nicole asked as she watched him hesitate to kiss her.

"Yes." He said in a serious tone.

Her eyes lowered and she closed them.

"But it has nothing to do with you being an alien. It's just you being, well you." Randy said as he released her and started to run knowing she was right behind him.

They both smiled at each other as they playfully wrestled once he let himself get caught.

"It's about time!" Thomas said as he walked through the door when Nicole and Randy got there.

"I know we're late." Nicole said solemnly.

"About two hours late." Isabel said from the couch as she watched a lifetime movie with Jenny beside her.

"We'll stay late." Nicole offered as she walked towards Jenny.

"You want to take me up to your room and show me how you want it painted?" Nicole asked trying to take her Aunt Liz's advice.

"Yeah, come on." Jenny said as she stood up and walked towards the stairs.

"Stay." Nicole said as she looked back at her boyfriend.

"Yes master." Randy grumbled under his breath.

"Good boy." Nicole called back not looking over her shoulder.

"You are so whipped." Thomas said laughing at Randy.

"I'm not exactly alone in that club." Randy said as he looked pointedly at Thomas, "Nicole has everyone in her family wrapped around her finger."

"Except for the girls." Isabel said from the couch.

They stood in an awkward silence.

"Want to see my guitar?" Thomas asked.

"Yeah OK." Randy said with a shrug as he followed Thomas into the basement.

"You play?" Thomas asked as he gestured to the many instruments around the room.

"Not well." Randy said as he glanced around the room.

There was a couch in the center of the room facing the wall opposite the door. There was a TV, DVD player, VCR, Playstation II, and an X-box on the entertainment center that was opposite the couch.

"Now that I play." Randy said smiling.

Thomas smiled as walked over to the system and inserted his favorite alien invasion game.

"Come on." Thomas said motioning Randy to sit on the couch. You didn't have to tell him twice.

"On this wall I want a sun rise. And on this one I want a sun set." Jenny said as she motioned to the walls.

"East and West." Nicole said shaking her head.

"I want a rainy day theme on this wall." Jenny said as she motioned to the South wall, "And I want a scene somewhat like the ones at the gallery. I want a princess being rescued by her prince… if you wouldn't mind trying to tie in the pictures together somehow."

"No problem." Nicole said as the paintings began to form in her mind's eye.

"On my floor I want a path drawn. On the wall with the Princes and Prince I want a latch open door with the castle in the background. And on the ceiling I want it black with glow in the dark stars." Jenny said as she took a piece of paper out of her pocket.

"And I want it to say this in the stars." Jenny said handing it to Nicole.

Nicole opened the paper and read it aloud, "Don't hate me because I am beautiful love me because it's on the inside."

"You'll get paid per wall. So I can pay you as you finish each one or I can just wait till you're completely done and pay you at once." Jenny said as she put her hands on her hips.

"Either way will be fine." Nicole said as she smiled at the girl… maybe her aunt was right after all.

After a slightly awkward silence Nicole spoke, "I should go find my painting partner and get started."

"I have to get started on my homework. If you need me I'll be in Thomas' room." Jenny said as she gestured to the direction of Thomas's bedroom.

Nicole shook her head as she went out the door and wandered down the stairs she had her whole life and into the living room where Alex and Isabel cuddled on the couch.

She looked into the kitchen only to find it bare of any teens. She slowly made her way through the house until she reached the opening to the basement where there were several loud laughing noises emitting from it.

"Boys." Nicole said as she rolled her eyes, watching as Thomas did a victory dance in front of Randy's laughing face.

"Hey, I didn't hear you complain before." Randy said not turning around to face her.

"Sweetie we need to go paint." Nicole said walking up and wrapping an arm around his neck.

"Do we have to?" He whined as he dutifully stood up.

"Actually we need to talk to Thomas first." Nicole said as she reached behind her with her hand and made the door fly closed.

Thomas's jaw hit the floor… how could she do that in front of a human… and why wasn't he surprised?

"Thomas," Nicole began looking into her cousin's eyes, "He knows."

Thomas just let his mouth hang down for a while, his brain trying desperately to process the information.

"Why?" Thomas asked his eyes wider than ever.

"We have a connection and…" That's as far as Randy got when Thomas leapt at him his hands securely around his throat.

"You had sex with her! Wait till her father gets a hold of what's left. IF I LEAVE ANYTHING!" Thomas said as he continued to strangle the poor boy.

Nicole's eyes duplicated her cousin's as she pulled him off of her boyfriend.

"We didn't have sex. We just connected because of kissing. No sex." Nicole said looking Thomas in the eyes.

"No sex?" He said again slightly calmer.

"No sex." Randy whispered hoarsely.

"I don't see why you look so relieved, her dad's still going to kill you." Thomas said wrapping an arm around his cousin as he hugged her tight.

"Start from the beginning." Thomas instructed as he loosened his grip on Nicole.

"Night, and thank you again for having me over." Josh said as he waved to Amanda's parents as they walked out of the door and to his jeep.

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow? Bright and early?" Josh asked wrapping his arms around Amanda's waist.

"Yes Mr. Evans, bright and early." Amanda said smiling at him as he leaned down and kissed her on the lips.

As Josh pulled away he asked, "Do you think your parents really liked me?"

"Why are you so worried?" Amanda asked smiling up at her boyfriend.

"It helps to be on their good side when I'm dating you." Josh said kissing her on the forehead.

"They're usually pretty cool with me picking my dates. They have faith in me." Amanda said pulling back a little so she could talk to him more comfortably.

"I know but when it comes times for me to ask…" Josh shut up immediately.

"Thomas just turned homicidal." He spoke after a moment, his face contorted with pure confusion.

"I have to go." Josh said kissing Amanda on the lips on last time and hopping in the jeep.

"What do I do? Tell everyone or keep it a secret?" Nicole asked warily.

"You know as well as I do we can't afford secrets in this family." Thomas said as he repeated one of the main rules their parents had impounded into their brains as young children.

"Would that stop you from keeping this a secret from my dad?" Nicole asked as a look of fear passed in front of his eyes.

"Want to call a meeting or should we do it one at a time?" Thomas asked wearily as he rubbed his hands over his face.

"I'll go one at a time on this. We don't want an angry mob on our hands." Nicole said reasonably.

"They'll still become an angry mob, it'll just take them a little longer to form the mob." Thomas said as his hands fell down to his sides.

"We'll need the time to run." Nicole said grimly.

"Aunt Isabel, Uncle Alex can I see you down here for a moment?" Nicole asked as she sheepishly walked up the stairs into the house. Her hands were nervously wrapped around each other.

"Sure Sweetie." Alex said as he and his wife gave each other questioning looks and followed her back to the basement.

As they stepped into the room Thomas closed the door behind them hoping to drowned out some of the screaming.

"Yeah, it went great." Eddie said to Julie as they discussed each other's practices.

"Yeah hold on babe, I have a call." Eddie clicked over as the knot in his stomach wound even tighter.

"Stop with the emotional roller coaster I don't think I can take anymore ups and downs today." Eddie said his tone joking but his concern obvious.

"What's a matter?" Eddie asked when he received nothing but more emotions.

"Bring your parents to Thomas's house." With that Nicole hung up the phone.

"YOU WHAT? HOW COULD YOU POSSIBLY BE THAT IRRESPONSIBLE?" Isabel yelled as the door behind her opened to reveal the Evan's.

"What happened?" Max asked as he took in his niece's and sister's distraught state.

Josh went over to the huddle of teens. There was a boy on each side of his cousin, but he felt that he needed to be her protector at the moment. He knew his emotions were both selfish and irrational, but he couldn't help how he felt.

He wrapped both his arms around her hugging her tightly to his chest before releasing her and standing behind her between Thomas and Randy.

"Start from the beginning." Liz commanded as she shifted her child from one arm to the other.

"Have you told the others?" Max asked running a hand through his hair.

"The only people who know are in this room." Nicole said her eyes practically cemented to her shoes.

"I'll make the call." Alex said as he offered to take Alixandria upstairs before the real violence started.

Michael, Matt, and Mark were the first people down the basement stairs right after Alex.

"You OK?" Michael asked as he went over to his daughter and wrapped her in his arms crushing her to him.

"Yeah daddy, I'm fine." Nicole said taking a deep calming breath.

Daddy… she only called him daddy when she wanted something or when something was seriously wrong… and judging by the mood that was hanging heavily over the entire room he feared it was the latter.

Mark and Matt looked her over for any physical damage, seeing none they looked at her again, both the boys clearly concerned about her.

Next down the stairs was Eddie, followed by his parents.

Eddie walked over and kissed her on the forehead resting his against hers briefly afterwards. He was obviously the last bodyguard of hers.

"Sorry I took so long, mom was in the shower." He whispered before joining the rather large group of teens around her.

"So why are we here?" Maria asked, as she looked over the teens her uneasiness spreading to her toes and back.

"You might want to sit down." Thomas said gesturing to the sofa.

"Talk." Maria said.

Josh opened his mouth and started to gesture to the sofa.

"Now." Michael said the authority in his voice very apparent.

Nicole wrung her hands around each other opening her mouth only to close it again.

Randy started on her behalf, "We have a…"

"I need to be the one to do this." She said as she gave him a 'Thanks, but no thanks' smile.

She could feel her cousin's around her and she could feel the support radiating off of them.

She took a step forward, towards the rest of her family, the ones that wouldn't be as understanding.

"Please, No one talk till I'm done," She said as an intro, "When me and Randy were making out in the EraserRoom we both got flashes. Since then we have had a connection of sorts."

Michael nostrils began to flare and suddenly Randy was glad the people around him didn't have death ray eyes.

"He saw me use my… gifts." Nicole said finishing her short and brief explanation. Her eyes looking straight into her father's.

"Yeah, I think I'm going to go sit down." Tess said as Kyle helped her to the sofa.

"Nicole." Maria said her throat very tight and her mind in endless mumbles.

"Out." Michael said breaking gaze with his daughter.

"All the teens out." Michael said his tone of voice and commanding stance leaving absolutely no room for argument.

Mark and Matt were the first to move towards the door, fury clearly displayed across their eyes and facial features.

They bypassed the kitchen and headed straight up the stairs into Thomas's room.

Jenny was on Thomas's bed rocking the baby back and forth in her arms, trying to read her textbook lay out in front of her. When she had said she'd watch the baby she didn't anticipate it not feeling well.

"Could you give us a little privacy?" Josh asked as the twins wouldn't leave or request it of her.

"Sure, no problem." She said as she cradled the baby against her and walked out the door and down the stairs into the living room.

The rest of the group crowded inside Thomas's room.

"We need to have a word with you." Mark and Matt said at the same time as they both grabbed an arm and dragged her out of the room and down the hall into Jenny's unfinished room.

"What the…" Matt began.

"…Hell were," Mark said in succession.

"YOU THINKING?" They finished together their voice practically ringing off the walls.

"I didn't mean for this to happen." Nicole said her voice softer than usual, "I'm sorry."

"Sorry isn't going to keep us out of a lab room." Mark hissed through his gritted teeth.

"He wouldn't do that to us." Nicole said automatically defensive.

"You want to take that chance?" Matt asked his leveled headed thinking almost completely gone.

"I would if I had to." She said instantly.

"Good, because now you have to." Mark said running his hand through his hair making it stand up on ends.

"I am sorry." Nicole said again not knowing what else to say.

Matt and Mark both wrapped their arms around her each burying their heads into her hair on a different side of her neck.

"We still love you sissy." They said in unison.

"I love you too." Nicole said a sigh of relief coming over her as she hugged them back forcibly

"We knew this would happen." Alex said reasonably.

"Easy for you to say. It's not your secret!" Michael said his anger getting the best of his irrational side.

"IT'S MY WIFE AND SON!" Alex said as calmly as possible, which couldn't be defined as calmly in even the remotest sense.

"There's no need to fight!" Max said trying to get both men to stop arguing before things got out of hand.

"Two down." Isabel said glumly.

"Five to go." Liz said as she shifted next to her husband.

"We always knew they'd have to share their secrets. Tell the ones they loved what they really were. It was inevitable." Tess said as she squeezed her husband's hand.

"I just wish they'd be more careful. They can't let just anyone in on our secret. It puts us all in danger." Michael said running his hand through his hair.

"At least Randy isn't freaking out. He willingly came and talked to us." Kyle offered trying to ease everyone's mind, including his own, in the slightest.

"That could be something to worry about." Maria said seriously earning some curious glances from the surrounding parents, "Who would willingly come talk to us about this? He has to have a death wish or be insane."

There were chuckles and smiles from everyone.

Michael smiled for a different reason though. Randy Jackson really did love his daughter…

Matt, Mark, and Nicole made their way back into Thomas's room.

As soon as Nicole entered the room she was shoved back out.

"Guy Talk." Eddie said as he locked the door and leaned against it so she couldn't come in.

"We warned you." Josh said calmly as he gently tipped the bat back and forth between his fingertips. Not lifting it but leaving it standing on the floor instead, "I told you to respect her secrets. That includes prying into them."

"I didn't pry. And I respect her secret. I won't tell anyone." Randy said not the least bit intimidated.

"How are we supposed to believe that?" Matt asked as he walked forward with his brother.

"Listen I have been in numerous fights for her. I have had several chances to 'get out' in her words. And I have defended myself to no end when it comes to my feelings for her and dating her." Randy said standing up exasperated, "I LOVE HER. That's all there is to it. I won't run off because if I were going to, I would have by now. I'm not afraid because she's still the Nicole I fell in love with and still do love. I won't turn her into the FBI or any of you because … it's just not right. Alien or not she's still her and you all are still who you are."

"Just for future references, our warning will always stand." Thomas said eyeing him over.

"Yes, yes. Eddie will kill me if I hurt her, Thomas will kill me in my sleep if I hurt her, and if I hurt her I will hurt… Right Josh?" Randy asked going threw the list of threats he had been issued a few weeks before.

"Right." Matt and Mark said in unison.

"Now that we're clear can I see my girlfriend?" Randy asked looking at the door that was getting constantly pounded and cursed at.

Eddie smiled as he opened the door sending Nicole flying into Randy who was standing a few feet in front of the entrance.

"The Alien Mafia done yet?" She asked annoyed.

"They're just being protective of you." Randy said wrapping his arms around her.

"I can take of myself and they don't need to threaten you." Nicole said leaning against him.

"You can't always take care of yourself and they need to threaten every person who breathes the same air as you." Randy smiled at her as the others stared on in amusement.

Nicole turned around and went down stairs to the kitchen while mumbling something about over protective barbarians the entire way.

Jenny slowly rocked Alixandra in her arms as she watched the stars flicker against the dark sky.

She hummed a tune her mother used to sing to her when she was younger. She was startled as the door behind her opened.

"Want baby sitting relief?" Thomas asked as he brought out a cup of tea.

"Sure." She said as she slowly released the child to its cousin.

"What were you humming?" Thomas asked as he watched Jenny sip her tea, sitting in the rocking chair beside hers.

"A song." She said smiling.

"Yeah I figured that much out." Thomas said smiling back at her.

"What was all the commotion about?" She asked glancing through the living room windows to the people inside.

"Nicole…" Thomas started trying to collect his thoughts, "Well Uncle Michael…" He stopped again anything he said would be a lie.

He looked towards her his eyes locking on hers. He couldn't lie to her. He simply couldn't.

"Family thing?" Jenny asked glancing at the floor.

"No, more of a Nicole thing." He said smirking to himself.

After a few moments of silence Jenny spoke, "My mom used to sing that song to me."

Thomas sat quietly rocking his cousin and watching Jenny.

"She loved to sing. Singing and dancing is what she swore she was born to do. Before I came along she would sing at clubs. Her and daddy would spend hours in the dance clubs just enjoying themselves." Jenny said moving the cup around and around.

"Her favorite lullaby to me was one she made herself while she was pregnant. The lyrics were

'Follow the rainbow.

Wish upon the colors, find love in me and others.

Across the rainbow wishes are truth.

Across the rainbow remain our youth.

Love shall be set free.

So visit across the rainbow if you need me.'

At least that's all I can remember." Jenny said tears stinging her eyes.

The door opened startling both of them.

"There's my baby girl!" Liz said as she walked outside making silly faces at her daughter.

Max walked over to Thomas to see his daughter weaving in and out of dreamland.

"Time for beddy-by baby." Max said lifting her to his chest for which her small hands clung for dear life.

Jenny stared off the other side of the porch so that the Evans couldn't see her tears.

The door opened again this time revealing the rest of his family.

"Later Thomas!" Eddie, Josh, Matt, and Mark called as they hurried over to their vehicles.

Tess, Kyle, Maria, and Michael were next. They quickly said their good byes and departed to their vehicles.

Isabel and Alex looked at the two teens who were silent.

"If you want to go to Thomas's room you can. Nicole and Randy are just starting on Jenny's room." Alex said as he pulled his wife back inside with him.

Jenny didn't move so Thomas took it upon himself. He stood up and offered a hand to the girl beside him. She took it and let herself be lead to his bed room.

He walked over to his desk and lit several candles before going back to the door and turning out the lights. He sat down on his bed next to Jenny's stiff form.

He leaned against the wall beside her before asked, "What happened? That night I came to your house… what happened Jenny?"

Jenny swallowed hard. She knew this would be discussed some day, but God how she wished she could postpone it till never.

"My mom loved to dance. It was on the way back from a dance club that the accident happened. I had a dance practice the next day. My very first one. Mom wanted me to follow in her foot steps. So they were coming home early on a Friday night." Jenny began hunching forward to rest her arms on her legs.

"She was driving, and at the intersection a guy didn't stop. She was less than a mile from home when… The guy hit them head on. It killed her. Not right away but it killed her." Jenny said as she took a deep breath.

"She was in the hospital emergency room for over five hours doing emergency surgeries. There was too much internal bleeding. They finally just moved her to a room and let us visit. Daddy sat by her side and cried the entire night. By morning she was gone." Jenny said tears falling of their own free will.

"I was ten at the time. Daddy and I moved as soon as we could. We moved here because there was a job opening and daddy took it. Not long after we moved her he started to drink. At first it was only a brandy or two after dinner. Than it was a margarita after lunch and a wine bottle at dinner. Soon he just drank every free second he had." Jenny said taking another deep breath to clear her tight throat.

"Then the beating started," She began the next part refusing to look in his direction because of shame; her voice cracking as she spoke, "That's what was going on when you found me. He had gotten drunk and he was beating me because he blames me for my mother's death."

Thomas reached out and grabbed her shoulders pulling her to him. She went willingly and cried silently as she was so accustomed to do.

He turned her so that they were both laying properly on his bed. He reached down and pulled a blanket over them.

"He can't touch you here." Thomas whispered as he held her flush against his chest, "No one can hurt you here. I wouldn't let them."

Jenny buried her head deep into the crevice of his neck breathing in the peaceful smell of him.

Thomas swallowed the hatred building up inside his veins. He had never hated before. He had never considered hating anything let alone anyone before Jenny's father had become known to his universe.

He heard a weak whimper from the girl in his arms and he forced the hatred to the side. Jenny didn't need him to hate her father. She needed him to be there for her.

And he would be… when ever she needed.

The End


End file.
